Rebuilding
by onethirdparty
Summary: Hikigaya Hachiman has left everything behind when he joined the military. Now, with the last mission of his deployment, he returns to Japan with Yukinoshita as a national hero. But now, he must rebuild what he sought to destroy. (Shit title and shit summary) Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

The blizzard howled as we tread through the snow. Sharp pieces of a mixture of ice and snow collided with my face and I was forced to lower my head as I walk. My feet were in much worse condition. My boots were wet and the feeling of the snow and ice in them stabbed like a thousand sharp needles. Despite this, I was able to ignore it and I continued on. I held my rifle close to my chest, in a vain attempt to try to keep myself warm. No matter what you try, you will never be warm in -10 degree weather. Even with the comfort of a heater, you still know it's cold. You will still occasionally shiver, not because your body is cold but because you know that it's cold away from it. Perhaps if you had someone to share warmth with, then it would be alright. You'd shiver together, hold onto each other, whisper sweet nothings to each other, and so much more. They say that love makes you feel forever warm.

That's a load of bullshit if you ask me.

Stating that you loved someone and confessing to them, asking them out on a date and then having them say no only makes that "warmth" you felt vanish. She'll just say she wants to remain friends or decides to mock you and laugh you, and thus you become a laughing stock. I know this because I went through it and it's why I prefer the cold. Though, it does remind me of a certain ice queen that said she had feelings for me. Did I feel something for her? To be honest, I was never really sure so I rejected her. In fact, I rejected 2 other girls that confessed to me. It became too much for me to deal with, I didn't want to embrace one while hurting the other 2. So I did what I had to. I hurt all 3 of them and probably hurt more than just them with what was my last social suicide. Straight after high school, despite my dream of becoming a full time house husband, I joined the military.

When I announced it, on the day of our graduation, I know I shattered their hearts. The amount of worry that was over their faces was almost unbearable, but what was most unbearable was the look that Ice Queen gave me. I remember staring into her eyes, I remember her tears, I remember her pleading me not to, I remember it all. But do I feel any regret for what I did? Not really. Well, that's not entirely true. During my first year of deployment I did feel intense regret, but luckily training destroyed those feelings. In fact, I couldn't say I have felt any emotion since being formally enlisted in the military.

Even though Japan was not at war with any nation, it was at war with another group. A group that didn't follow international law or had any regard for human rights. That enemy was pirates. Just as I got out of High School, the amount of pirates in the sea and even on the land had swelled to a great number and international trading has become much less safe. The international community blames private military companies for this rise. I blame human nature, when humans want something and are desperate enough, they will take it. In the end, despite what our idealism says, humans will do anything to keep themselves happy and alive. In the words of John Green, "Between civilization and warm genitals, humans pick warm genitals." They do not care whose life they ruin, they do not care if how much they take leaves a father out of work; As long as they get what they want, they're happy. This was the fact of life. I had come to know it in schooling in regards to social cliques, but in the military I got to witness it in human nature.

Japan wasn't the only nation that was effected by the rise of piracy. America and Russia were even affected by it, and both took strong action against it. That is part of the reasons why I am here, on the border between Russia and China. Russian and Japanese relations had gotten much better after the problem of pirates came to the international community. We even ended the Second World War officially [1]. Now an alliance between Japan and Russia became so great that it was to the point where joint military groups between Japan and Russia were created for taking out these threats.

I laid down in the snow and covered myself, despite my body's obvious protest against this. We had been trained to deal with the cold, but I suppose I am stronger against the cold than most of my squad members. This was probably due to the Ice Queen. I would go to thank her, but I will never see her again. Or at least I hope not, I hope she doesn't come and track me down. Wait a minute, worrying about her tracking me down is pointless, they've probably already forgotten about me by now. Yukinoshita is probably abroad somewhere studying. Why am I even thinking about this?

I pulled out my rifle and looked through the score, giving me insight to this local group of pirates' "secret" compound. But it could hardly be called a "secret" or a "compound". Recon was able to find it within a single day, despite their often times poor performance and the place was quite poorly and hastily constructed. From the looks of it, there were around 17 of them. Normally I would let the lower branches take care of pirates this few in number, but I volunteered my squad much to their disappointment. Nonetheless, the Lieutenant and I had an agreement where he allowed me to take any operation I wanted, but I had to lead it and execute it. What we both disliked leading, so this was a mutual agreement between us. If I was the old me, then I would have never volunteered for a job I didn't have to do. But sadly, these types of cases were different. They had a personal significance to me.

These pirates were human traffickers.

I jumped as soon as I heard it, especially at the mention of possible Japanese victims, when they were listing objectives that the company needed done. I didn't think when I did, not that I needed to though. You can steal resources, you can steal products, but trading people was just crossing the line. Ew, that sounds like I have a strong care for people. But oddly enough, I have my reason for doing these kind of operations.

I pictured my dear Komachi in these types of situations and I suppose my Oni-Chan instincts still remain strong even if I haven't seen her in 4 years. I bet that earned me a ton of points! After removing those thoughts from my head, I motioned for my squad to spread out and prepare to raid their compound. I had a knack for shooting from the sidelines, out of sight and out of mind. I guess once a loner, always a loner.

I positioned the barrel of my rifle at the head of the nearest guard. He was likely of European origin and he smoked a cigarette with a bored expression. From the scope, I could see he was extremely overweight and his teeth were yellow. It was disgusting, and I had to resist my urge to fire until the men got into position. After receiving signals from them, I prepared to take the shot. I was always the first shot, the men learned very quickly that I would not tolerate anyone shooting before me. I still don't understand why I was made a Corporal.

I breathed and I held the rifle steady.

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

BANG

The bullet collided with his head, killing him instantly. The other guards that were near him began to panic and fired in my general direction. Too bad for them, I wasn't done. Two more shots and they both went down, one bullet to the chest and one bullet to the head again. The other soldiers began their assault, firing a spray of automatic fire into a group of 5 of them. Looking from my scope, it was like red confetti had flown through the air around them. The squad didn't hesitate though, they began to look for the others and I took it as my que to do the same. I normally don't like to work as a group, but with this squad I have to keep them covered. Luckily I don't have to talk too much.

It took about 15 minutes to secure the compound. Of the 17 pirates, only 3 of them decided to surrender. The others were killed. Hopefully the survivors have information on where this shipment of theirs was going, but I have a good idea. Human trafficking became more popular, especially with the Arabs. It has become a lucrative business in the Middle East and the international community has tried to get the governments there to enact efforts in cracking down on it. Sadly though, they have done very little.

I arise from my spot and move down to meet the men, they give me salutes but I put them at ease. I don't like being saluted, it doesn't feel right. I'm not even in first command, why do they do that?! A leader isn't someone you should have to give a meaningless honor to, you should appreciate him and honor him in your own way. Maybe that's what's going through their minds, but I doubt it. They hardly have a liking towards me.

"Find anything?" I ask somewhat loudly, due to the howling of the wind. Have to keep it short due to the cold, which benefits me quite a deal. Why can't it be this temperature all the time? I wouldn't have to go to damn briefings and speak. Though, the temperature would suck and I'd be shivering my ass off all day. I'd probably get a cold too. On second thought, I hope I can get out of this weather soon.

Upon my asking, they quickly move towards the three cargo boxes in the center of the compound. I may not be liked, but my rank carries some authority. I follow them and I stand in front of the first one, one of the soldiers moves to open it but I stop him much to his confusion.

"I'll go first."

It's best I do because I won't be missed. These men have wives and family at home to come home too. Wouldn't want someone to be without their loved one. I draw my pistol and open the door slowly open the door. The metal door screeches loudly and shine my flashlight into the darkness. Inside lies a great deal of food supplies and even some ammunition. That's a weird combination to put in a cargo box. Idiots. Though no one was hiding in the box.

I move onto the second box and it was a similar result to the first. No one was inside, but instead of food and ammunition, various technology littered the box. It varied from TVs, Computers, an Oven, a Refrigerator, Microwaves, etc. By the looks of it, we have a few tens of thousands of dollars' worth in here, command will be happy with it. Something good to report to the news. Upon exiting the second cargo box, a loud thud is heard from the third. The soldiers in response raise their weapons, training on the cargo box. Quickly we move towards the box, with two of them on both of my sides. Here goes nothing.

The door creeks open and I hear a loud warrior like scream erupt from inside and I am suddenly forced to the ground. The man is wielding a knife and he stabs wildly towards me, my men scream at him stop while pointing their weapons toward them. Sadly though, I know they won't fire with me down. I dodge his movements without much effort and after snapping out of my thoughts, I grab the knife from him and throw him off. I move quickly to restrain him by putting my pistol to his head. He grunts and tries to kick me off, but I have a firm enough hold on him to where that is not a problem. I'm able to handcuff him and he's held to the ground by the actual leader of the squad, Lieutenant Izami. He's reliable, quick, and doesn't talk much. In exchange for having the shots on what some operations we have, I have to lead. It's fair though and that's why he's my favorite out of all them.

"I'm going in." I say standing up, drawing my pistol and flashlight again

The door wasn't all the way open, so I grabbed it and deciding to be cautious, moved it slowly. The sound of the metal moving was loud despite the howling of the blizzard. When my flashlight came through, a sight that made my blood boil. Easily 50 women were packed tightly together in that box, some in better conditions than others. Some had their clothes ripped apart, some were bleeding, and some looked fine but obviously tormented trying to help the others. Before anyone could do anything however, I ran out of that box and kicked the bastard's head as hard as I could, knocking him out. My squad members gave me a few curious and stunned looks, but I paid it no mind.

"We are here to help. You are safe now." I say in English, it became elementary to being in the military and I could speak it almost fluently. Plus most people can understand English, so I'm sure I got the message across.

3 women jumped at me suddenly, grabbing onto me tightly and yelling what I presume to be thank you's in various different languages. The other women quickly followed suite out of that wretched box. I led them out, but I felt a tug from behind me. I turned around and I stared wide eyed into a pair of deep blue eyes. Her clothes remained, but her face was injured with a few cuts and her face looked swollen.

"Hikigaya-kun…?"

"Yukinoshita…"

Her arms wrapped around me tighter than the grip of a bear trap, not letting me go. She cried heavily into my chest and I was left stunned, I couldn't move. The Ice Queen managed to freeze my movements. Nonetheless, despite the cold, my face flushed red at the contact. Many things were running through my head, confusion, anger, embarrassment, and other things. I'm sure this was and is going to be national news. If only I had paid attention to the news, I would have known. Instead, I bid my time by exercising. Though I have heard cases that some powerful families have had kidnappings. Another reason for governments to get involved. What's despicable about it is that the powerful and most rich people are the top priority on rescue, rather than the common citizens. I will probably get a pay raise for doing something like this, so thanks Yukinoshita.

But this is bigger than my salary, it deals with people that I deeply care about. I picture the blow that this has done to this must have done to everyone and what the blow meant for Chiba and Yukinoshita's family. In an effort to calm her down, I wiped my hand of the snow and patted her head. This only caused her to hold me tighter, which I didn't think was possible. Looking back to the other men, I can see they are quite interested in what's going on. But the Lieutenant looks extremely relieved and even excited.

"Corporal, is that?" I know what he's going to say, it's probably him confirming if he just got a pretty pay raise.

"Yukinoshita Yukino, yes Lieutenant."

In order to keep everyone from getting frost bite, we put them back into the boxes. We discovered that they had heating, which would seem quite surprising that human traffickers would put these things in but it hardly was. You don't want your product to freeze to death. It's sick, it's cruel, it's inhumane, but it's logical. The whole situation is logical. These fools simply wanted a piece of the money and they were about to get it. It took around an hour, but evacuation teams were soon at the site of the compound. Bodies were taken away and most of the women were sent in UN Peace Keeping trucks probably back to the base. Command, as soon as hearing that Yukinoshita was one of them, sent special escorts to retrieve her. They were heavily armed, much more than we were. It makes sense though, she pretty much has the same worth as a government official.

"Yukinoshita-sama, the escort is ready for you." Said one of the guards. His words caused Yukinoshita to jump and move behind me. I know what this means from past rescue operations. The first face they see, depending on what they went through, is normally the only one that they will trust. This has led very embarrassing situations such as families offering me payment for saving their family member. Every time though, I have rejected. It wouldn't be right to accept any kind of additional payment for doing my job.

"Yukinoshita, I'm not going to leave so let's get to the escort."

She nods silently and we move towards the truck. I see Yukinoshita glancing at the blood stains that litter the snow and she shivers violently more than likely due to the weather. I take off my jacket and put it around her, to which she nods a simple thank you while smiling at me. I'm glad you can still smile after this Yukinoshita, but don't make me misunderstand things. The entire squad ended up filing into the escort as well. We packed somewhat tightly together due to the gear, so Yukinoshita's body was pressed close against me and we were both blushing from the contact. This was much to the delight of the squad, who were snickering at us. I swear to god if you don't wipe those looks off your face, I'll get the Lieutenant to give you extra laps. Sadly though, the Lieutenant was joined with them in the snickering. Why have you abandoned me?! I sigh heavily and let me body relax.

These types of missions always make me tense, because I never know what to expect. I'm glad that none of the hostages were killed in the mission. That has to be my biggest concern in these types of things, because I would never be able to forgive myself if any hostage died. Yukinoshita had fallen asleep after around a half hour, but all I could do was stare at her. I wanted this to be a nightmare, but in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't. My deployment was going to be ending in a few weeks and I would be returning to Japan. I had mixed feelings about my return, but now they have turned to dread. This is a problem that I will have to face when I return, but for now I'm glad she is safe.

 **Author's Note: Hello everyone, this was just a random idea I had while being bored in my room. I've reached a kind of writer's block and maybe this will help me clear things up. I may continue, depending on reviews. Yukinoshita won't be a weak damsel in distress in this if I do decide to continue it. I'd like to make it into a story where Hikigaya has to rebuild his relationships with everyone and discovering his self-worth. This may be slightly OOC because Hikigaya went through the military and I'm still trying to improve my writing on Hikigaya's personality. But I'll try my best.**


	2. Chapter 2

Our small convey eventually reached the base without much hassle, save for the poor weather conditions. The drivers kept bitching about having to come out on such short notice and I had the urge to stand up and smack one of them, but Yukinoshita prevented me from doing so with her body weight. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't heavy by any means but I didn't want to disturb her rest. After going through hell in that box, it's understandable. But the thought of all of those women, especially Yukinoshita in the box made my blood boil with anger. Luckily the squad was able to notice my anger and did not utter a word.

We file out of the truck and I watch as the women are brought towards the mess hall. Bastards probably didn't feed them too well. The guards woke Yukinoshita and beckoned for them to follow them, but she did not move. She instead stared at me and I could feel her gaze ripping into me and begging me to follow her.

"Hikigaya-kun…" She faintly breathed out, but loud enough for my squad to hear it. They seemed very curious as to why she knew my name, but that was none of their business. I walked wordlessly back to the vehicle and helped Yukinoshita down much to the surprise and annoyance of the guards. They probably just wanted to appeal as heroes to Yukinoshita in a vain hope for her to like one of them. If only you fools knew what she was really like. As I started to walk with Yukinoshita towards the mess hall, I noticed that she seemed to have a slight limp so I helped her along

"You don't have clearance to follow." One of the guards said trying to intimidate me. He was much bigger than I was, but I have little respect for guards that never leave the base. They can't do anything.

"You have no power to order me around, private. I will personally be seeing to Yukinoshita-san, am I clear?"

He doesn't answer me and my temper starts to rise

"Am. I. Clear. Private?" I bark, startling Yukinoshita

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, go back to your posts."

I could practically feel the daggers his gaze was throwing at me and I almost chuckled, but held it down. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's the guards that guard the bases. They're cocky, yet most of them have never seen any sort of combat. Those two included. I remember first coming here and these two tried to force me into giving them my rations. They soon stopped upon realizing my rank and the fact that I don't tolerate bullshit. They definitely hold a grudge, but that's not important.

Silence reigned between us filled with obvious tension, there was much I wanted to ask and I'm sure she wanted to speak but the pure awkwardness and horrifying situation that Yukinoshita endured for God knows how long kept us in silence. Nonetheless, I kept close to Yukinoshita and she didn't seem to mind. Which was funny given she almost constantly ridiculed me for my "creepy" behavior. We entered into the mess hall and it was alive with all sorts of noise. The personel had let some of the freed women call whatever family, others were eating as if they had been starved which was likely true, and some remained completely silent and still, likely thinking over events. The feeling that this sight gave me was a mixture of happiness for seeing people put out of harm's way while also evoking within me a deep rage at those that practiced this horrid trading of people.

The sound of Yukinoshita's stomach grumbled loudly from beside me breaking me from my thoughts and I looked to see her blushing massively

"Go eat. I'll come with you."

"T-Thank you, Hikigaya-kun."

After retrieving the food and sitting down, Yukinoshita dug in without any sort of hesitation. Having been at this base for a few months, I know that the cooks were not that good at preparing things that would seem edible. But I suppose when you're hungry the taste of food doesn't really matter. I tried looking at everything but Yukinoshita but her eyes were fixated on me and I could feel her gaze on my back. I really wish I wasn't here right now.

"Hikigaya-kun." And, here we go

"Yo…"

"H-how have you been?" Yukinoshita, that was by far the worst way of starting a conversation I have ever seen. That had to be worse than my middle school days and that is a real feat. Although, Zaimokuza probably had us both crushed in that area.

"I've been fine…" I say breathing heavily "But that's something I should be asking you."

"Did they hurt you badly?" The ass kicking I would be giving to the survivors in interrogation was entirely dependent on her next words. But she began to shake violently and she was stuttering

"T-they tried to… But I stopped them…"

"It's fine Yukinoshita. If you don't want to talk about it right now, that's fine. But they will probably bring you in for questioning." I say trying to ease her fears. We may not have ended on good terms after Sobu but I'm not horrible person. Hey! Don't give me that look! I'm being serious!

"C-could you be there then?"

It would be a royal pain in the ass to get clearance, especially with it being Yukinoshita. Plus there are tons of political implications of this case. I guarantee if I further get involved, I will be mentioned by the media and thus I would have a spot light put on me. But the mental consequences of her being Yukinoshita are more important then that. Even though I don't know the severity of them.

"Sure…"

"Thank you, Hikigaya-kun."

Silence soon takes over once again but with a somewhat awkward tension in the air. There's more we want to say. I want to ask how they kidnapped her, why they did, when they did, if everyone had been doing alright. I haven't talked to anyone after I joined the military, and Yukinoshita was the only portal that gave any insight as to Chiba. It was ironic how badly I wanted to speak, I'm a loner and I left that world behind for a reasons. Yet, I almost want to be drawn back to it and more than likely will be pulled back to it due to it being the end of my service.

"How has everyone been?" I ask, guess I'm going for this

"Fine, Hikigaya-kun. Though Yuigahama-san and Komachi-san miss you very much." She says

"I missed you…" Is what I heard faintly, but it was probably just my imagination

"If I remember correctly, your service is almost up." She says before I could further inquire

"Sadly, yes. It is." I say

"You don't want to come back?"

"I may miss MAXX Coffee and Komachi, but other than that I wanted to leave what I had there behind, for my mental health." This causes Yukinoshita's face to contort in a mixture of both anger and hurt, an expression I got familiar with just before graduation when words were exchanged over my decision.

 **Flashback:**

Graduation was here. The end of this long and winding road that I called my school life. Today I would be thrown out of the lie of youth and into the cruel truth of adulthood. I could say I honestly preferred it. I would have to find work, despite my desire to become a househusband. Although, I did have the chance to find the women that would provide for us, but I rejected three such candidates. Candidates that were the 3 people the most close to me outside of my immediate family.

I feared that choosing one would destroy what they all had with each other, so I decided to remove myself from the picture.

Perhaps later I could find a wife that would be willing to provide for the both us, but as of now I needed to build that foundation. But a part of me wants to remain and continue what I had here, with the service club.

Despite what the riajuus proclaim with the most upbeat of certainty, that the 'friendships' that they had in high school would never break and they would remain as close as ever, was nothing but a delusional lie. We all have different ambitions, some of us going to countries across the country and abroad or not going to college at all. The relationships would break and they would carry on with their lives as new corporate slaves. The only hope for any of these fools to see each other again is for the high school reunion, with the occasional drunk and out of date upbeat music from their time of youth. Some wouldn't want to dance to the music for fear of being judged as immature, while the others simply couldn't dance because their poor life styles of unhealthiness wouldn't allow them to.

The fact that I would never see any of them again became a fact for me and I embraced it bitterly with realism. Despite everything that happened, I still remain somewhat that monster of logic. Yukinoshita will probably be going abroad to study, marry of to some perfect man, and live happily. Yuigahama would likely became a housewife, though I fear for the life of the man in which she cooks for. Whoever you may be, may you survive the tough road ahead of you.

As for me, I had decided on joining the military to effectively get away from the problem in which I faced even though I hadn't told anyone as of yet. It would seem illogical for me to, as I have a tendency to dislike fighting and the thought of the harsh training in which I would go through would destroy my care free and energy conserving life style. But there were 3 main reasons I wanted to.

The first of them was that I had a strong calling towards service. It had been in the news for the past few months that pirates had been hijacking and killing Japanese traders and fishermen off the coast and I felt a strong nationalist calling to serve my country. The second reason was that it would be appealing for a women to marry a military man, responsible women tend to like disciplined yet dominant men.

The third reason was because I wanted to get away and end what I had here instead of painfully dragging it out. I'm sure Yuigahama and Yukinoshita, or at least Yuigahama would try to keep in touch with me solely out of kindness, but it would slowly drift away. But I know for a fact that Yuigahama would not let Yukinoshita escape her clutches. Their yuri love would never falter on the weight of distance.

I had filled out all of the necessary paperwork for my enlistment and had gotten my physical. I had run it by my parents in secret from Komachi. My mother was reluctant and afraid, but I managed to convince her at the prospect of it disciplining my behavior and giving me increased likelihood for a job and having some of my college expenses paid for. It was all set, and I would be leaving 3 days after my graduation.

The principle's voice broke me from my thoughts however, when he began to announce to the graduating class the highest scoring persons in the grade.

"In first place, Valedictorian Yukinoshita Yukino." The hall erupted in applause and various cheers, Yukinoshita entered the stage then bowing to the principle while the principle bowed back

"In second place Hayama Hayato." Again erupted into applause while I heard some girls cheering for him, he walked to the principal and repeated

"And in third place, Hikigaya Hachiman." The applause was much less loud then the previous and I heard some "Who's?" in the crowd. I heard a few "Hikitanis" from Hayama's clique. In annoyance I went up myself and followed Hayama's actions. He forced his smile, but oddly enough I was not annoyed at that. After doing this for many years, it must become tiring and having someone like me come up would likely scare someone that only dealt with the goodi goodi kids and unintelligent thugs. We all turned to the crowd and gave a bow, causing the hall to erupt in applause again.

 **A few hours later**

After the graduation ceremony and the congratulations we had received from our parents, we left to a random high class restaurant for celebration. By us, I meant myself, Komachi, Yukinoshita, Haruno, Isshiki, Yuigahama, Hiratsuka and basically anyone that had bothered to become involved with me, which included Hayama's clique. One might have expected this to be a time of great enjoyment and celebration, especially for me who hated being in school. But to me, this celebration's only purpose was to inform everyone of my intentions and I worried how everyone might react. I also worried that I would give into their concerns. But my mind was made up and I had to face this.

"Everyone." I stated somewhat loudly, that garnered their attention as well as a few onlookers from other tables. They were confused as to why I had interrupted their fun, and I could feel my face turn red at their stares, but decided to ignore it.

"In 3 days, I will be leaving Chiba for 4 years of military service."

"Eh?!"

"Hikki?!"

"Hikigaya-kun…"

Their expressions potrayed genuine shock, but a wide varying of emotions. Hiratsuka looked absolutely pissed, Hayama and his clique looked shocked, Komachi, Yuigahama, and Isshiki had tears in the eyes and I could see them begging me not to go, but Yukinoshita left in a hurry. I decided to follow her decision and I ran as fast as I could towards the train station. Far away from them despite them yelling me to stop. I managed to get a few blocks away, and I was out of breath from how fast I had ran. But I was crying as I did so and a few people looked at me strangely. At this point I didn't care. I then boarded the train and made my way to the recruitment post and that was the end of what I had in Chiba.

 **Flashback end.**

"Hikigaya-kun." She looked at me sternly and I had no room to move or stop her "That day, when you left us there you created more problems than you fixed." She said breathing heavily trying to control her anger

"What do you mean?"

"Yuigahama-san broke down in front of us in a way I've never seen before. She was hurt, she was devastated. I was devastated when you left! Everyone was worried sick about you to the point where Hiratsuka-sensei quit teaching and fell into deep depression after you left! You were an idiot, and you still are! Why haven't you at least called your family?! Komachi-san took it worse than any of us, she became just like you were, dark, cynical, and just downright rude!"

"I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE TO!" I yelled, gaining everyone's attention "You think I wanted to destroy everything that we had, everything that I had?! By the end of third year, you, Isshiki, and Yuigahama were practically about to kill each other! I HAD to leave! It hurt me when I felt the tension and the hostility you all had for one another! And it hurt me even more that I was the fucking cause of it! I ate away at me and I felt like I didn't have a way to get out, so I took the logical route of going far far away. And it looks like it worked." I poured out with a great deal of anger that I didn't know I had, it was almost scary that I was this bitter and the fact that I was yelling at Yukinoshita. Despite this, she didn't even look fazed and continued her attack.

"That doesn't mean you just up and leave without even talking to your family! They were completely separate from us! They care for you, Hachiman!"

"As if they actually cared, it would be better if I completely ended things with them and that I did." At this, Yukinoshita smacked me fast causing me to stager back in pain, with a few gasps coming from those watching our little exchange. We were so encompassed in yelling at each other, we didn't notice people were watching and listening.

"You don't have my family, Hachiman. I've seen it Komachi's eyes that she still legitimately cares about you. So don't you ever fucking bitch about your family not caring about you." I was at a loss of words, Yukinoshita just cursed at me and actually smacked me. Plus I had no counter response. Yukinoshita effectively shut me down. Getting a further look at her, she had tears in her eyes and her face was contorted in a satisfied, yet still angry face. She had won the argument, for now at least. But the adrenaline of our fight had worn off and we had gained awareness of our surroundings. Everyone was staring, and the few personnel that did know me where shocked at the violent argument that transpired between us. This would certainly become gossip, with the potential of it spreading to national news.

Yukinoshita seemed to notice that she had acted violently toward me, as I was rubbing my cheek. Her face tinted red and she moved to touch me.

"I'm sorry Hikigaya-kun, that was uncalled for, I-"

"No, it's fine Yukinoshita. Thanks." I honestly needed that correction

The silence returned between us, there was clearly more to be said and the anger that we both felt had not been completely resolved, but the silence was not awkward nor was it hostile. It signified the beginning of reconciliation. My start to facing the tremendous problems that I would face upon my return to Chiba. The guards had soon come for Yukinoshita to take a phone call with her family, and I was permitted to follow. She smiled lightly and sounded pleasant, but I could feel hostility in her voice towards them. Problems between her and her family might have deepened when I was gone, and may have deepened because of her kidnapping. And I knew that I would go toe to toe with it on some degree. I both was excited and dreading my return to Chiba.

 **Author's Note: Hey guys, I'm updating the authors that went missing when I originally posted this. Anyway, I wanted everyone to know that I am not stopping this, it's just I have been and am still busy with a lot of school work and spending time with friends. I enjoy it, but it's very time consuming. I've run into writers block again with And so, Yukinoshita and I am planning to rewrite and continue Hikigaya's Romance at the request of a few users. I feel that it was way too OCC for my liking and I believe I could do better, I might just decide to make it a series of oneshots. I don't know, tell me what you guys think.**

 **Anyway, please leave reviews on this and my other Oregairu fics. I want to get to 200 reviews and over 100, possibly 200k words for each. That's my goal with a lot of these. Anyway, see you guys in whatever I update next.**

 **P.S. REVIEW**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Prime Minister's warning and the path to reconciliation

The following day after recovering the women from that pirate group, which from what I heard had ties with several high ranking government officials in the middle east potentially, the international media had been abuzz. Just as I had expected, this mission held large political implications. The uneasy peace in the middle east from America's involvement under Donald Trump had for the most part been good enough to keep things at least somewhat sane around the world. The American president cracked down harshly on the corruption and evil in the middle east during his first two years, but found himself with his hands tied behind his back because of their congress. Thus, in the last two years of my deployment we had seen an increase in terrorist and pirate activity which has put the world in a great deal of tension. People were worried, people fear for their families, and people wanted to get away from the nonsense put forth by their politicians. And thus, as I stare at the television, Donald Trump found himself reelected to president. A number of the personnel sat in the headquarters of the base, watching alongside me as Donald Trump gave his reelection speech. There were subtitles, but I could understand what he was saying.

" _It takes brave people to do the extraordinary, believe me folks. It's those brave people that help push me forward and to continue to stand with you despite what crooked politicians. They are the people that really deserve the glory and the thanks tonight. In light of recent events in China, I would like to_ _personally_ _thank a few individuals for their brave rescue of 76 women from human traffickers. Including Lieutenant_ _Izami_ _Hayato_ _and Corporal Hikigaya Hachiman who led the recue operation. Our allies are strong and they are brave, and so are we. So today, we will continue our fight on more terrorism and the pirates."_

There were a few moments in my life where I literally thought that shit could not hit the fan any more than it already had. Hell, I thought it was done hitting the fan when I joined the military. I was out of that shit filled room that I called my previous life and into the grand outdoors of a new form of discipline. Away from the room of shit. But this operation, although having done a great thing, had brought the mightiest shit storm that life ever hailed upon me. There was no building I could hide in and once again I would be dragged back into that shit filled room with the shit hanging the fan and the shit hail would only further the damage done to both me and everyone that I had previously been involved with in that shit filled room I called my life.

Wow, I said shit a lot in that little monologue. But that is to be expected, having been in the military for a long time. Ok, time to stop saying shit, in 3, 2, 1, Go!

Anyway, as to why I had made that monologue to sh- I mean crap hitting the ceiling fan, was because that if the President of the United States mentioned me, I'm sure that there must be even more talk of my actions in Japan. There's also the threat that if the argument between Yukinoshita and I were to break out, everything would become even further ablaze and controversy would start. I would have to face it, Yukinoshita, and Yukinoshita's family would have to face it. And I'm sure that her family would not be happy over the fact that their daughter had romantic interests in a common man like me. This may royally screw me over of any peace.

"Looks like we're heroes, Hikki!" Izami says with a teasing grin on his face as the others snicker at my annoyance. Although Izami is usually quiet and leaves me alone, the bastard does interact with me on a friendly level. As to why he calls me by the same stupid nickname that Yuigahama had, he had discovered it by accident and noticing the misery it caused me, kept calling me it. This guy is a real sadistic bastard.

"Look Izami, right now I'm not in the mood." I said standing up getting a few oohs from the others in the room, normally I don't like to fight but I'm pissed off and Izami makes a punching bag- I mean sparing buddy. He seems to understand my intentions and smirks.

"Something bothering you Hikki? Maybe I can help you with it by kicking your ass." He says in a playful and taunting tone, raising his fists.

"If you two don't cut it out, I'll kick both of your asses and discharge you both." A voice comes from the entrance of the room before I could reply. Turning to see who it was, it was General Nara. He was an older man, his hair turning gray in some parts and his face revealed a life time of getting cut and bruised. However, the most striking feature were his eyes. The man had eyes and an expression that were sharper than a butcher's clever. And now that expression was fixated at us. Behind him stood his guards, who were decently sized and held the same threatening gaze as the general. I suppose you want guards that think and act like you, after all people like that are the ones you tend to be able to trust. Well, unless you're a crooked liar that is. Everyone in the room saluted, including me despite my dislike towards saluting. A general is a general after all.

"At ease, all of you." He says with a wave of his hand "Report back to your posts, break time is over. Except for you Corporal, I need to have a word with you."

I couldn't deny that my curiosity at the situation was only beginning to rise. The general rarely comes to a common foot soldier, especially Nara. The man's very dedicated to his work and very rarely attends formal ceremony or interacts with anyone besides officers. After everyone had left, he let out a sigh preparing for what he was about to say.

"Sir."

"Before we get this started, cut the formality bullshit Hikigaya. You don't like it and neither do I."

Oddly enough, I had come to know the general. Due to my working with intelligence and sometimes conducting missions, I passed by his quarters and we had briefly gotten to know each other. The conversations were brief, but he was somewhat of a creep and walked around the base getting away from his guards. He didn't interact with many of the personnel but he sure as hell listened around and learned about the gossip. Probably to understand troop morale. It's clever but you can't deny that it's creepy.

"Why are you here, Nara?"

He breathed heavily as if what came next was a tremendous stress on him

"I know that it's the end of your deployment, but your knowledge and insight has been really helpful in intelligence. I have come to ask you to sign for another 4 years of service. I'm willing to make the arrangements to promote you and get you twice your pay."

That was indeed an interesting offer. I would have accepted it if it weren't for my need to find a working wife. The only reason I joined the military in the first place was to be able to attract a woman of decent pay. I can now finally become a househusband! He sits down on the couch looking at me for my answer.

"No." This stuns him and he looks to me as if I were crazy

"And why not?" He says clearly pissed off

"Want to get married while I'm still young."

"Would you mind telling me who's waiting for the proposal? You never made or received a single phone call from Japan during the entirety of your employment. Plus, with how much of a prick you are, I doubt any women would take you." He says half teasing and half being serious. Sadly for you Nara, I am serious about my decision. Although a wife isn't necessarily the first thing on my mind.

"Says the creep that goes around listening on people's conversations." I say smirking, two can play this game

"Tck."

The conversation soon goes silent with an awkward tension. Though the tension wasn't caused by my rejection of the offer. The general had something on his mind, clearly. I also noticed that he was carrying a phone with him. But this was not an ordinary phone. It looked like the phones you see in the movies that connect the white house to the Kremlin. Its red color stuck out like a sore thumb and the reason he had it was sure not to be good.

"I'm pretty sure that you're aware that what you did as sparked a lot of media attention, especially to you." He said staring me in the eyes and dialed on the phone "You've gained quite a bit of attention in the media and the Prime Minister wishes to speak with you, personally."

"Shouldn't he want to talk to Izami? After all, he is my commanding officer." Maybe I can get out of this situation by bullshitting my way out. Perhaps I should fake illness and put this off?

"I would think so too, but he insisted on talking to you because you led the operation."

"Fine, I'll take the phone call." I say moving towards the general. He nods and dials on the phone. The phone rings for a few moments and the general begins talking with the voice that was barely audible through the telephone. They exchanged some pleasantries and small talk, but my name was soon mentioned and I was handed the phone.

"H-hello?"

"You must be Corporal Hikigaya, am I correct?" Wait a minute, how are you supposed to address a prime minister? The highest executive office of Japan is clearly deserving of respect, but to call me out when he could have called on Izami made me pissed. I was out of here in a few days, I simply wanted to laze about on my final days in this hellhole before returning to my other hellhole. Is that too much to ask?

"Y-yes, Prime Minister." Safest route to follow, address with the title. I am grateful that military has taught me to keep composure or I would have been a hot mess at this moment.

"I would like to offer you my most sincere thanks on behalf of the people of this country, Corporal Hikigaya. You have done a great service to our people."

"I was just doing my job, sir."

"Nonsense, if I'm not mistaken you are in special forces and work in intelligence. General Nara has informed me of your work and he speaks quite highly of you. You could have ignored this job and left it to a lesser ranked force, but you and your squad took it before anyone had a moment to even try. By chance do these kinds of jobs have special significance to you?"

"No sir, I just-"

"Or was it because of Yukinoshita Yukino?"

"…."

"Is something wrong, Hikigaya-san?" His words were embroiled with venom and hostility though they would sound like nothing but pure and innocent curiosity. He knew that I knew Yukinoshita.

"I had no way of knowing she was kidnapped; I haven't paid attention to the news until recently."

"Is that so? I've heard you two were quite close from that little argument you had." He says changing the subject

"…"

"Well Corporal I don't mean to be rude when I say this but I need to get it off my chest. You're an intelligent man so I'm sure you understand the political implications that could result from that little argument you two had. If news got out that a Yukinoshita daughter liked a person of no notable background, the media would be in an uproar even more than it already is. The media would destroy you both, so out of consideration for a national hero, I'd advise you to stay away from her."

"You may be the Prime Minister, but you don't tell me what to do. You are in no authority to dictate how I live my life or how she dictates her life." I say getting increasingly angered by his words

"You're quite interesting Hikigaya, you actually have a spine unlike most politicians. Ever thought about running for office?"

"No."

"Well, I'm sure you're eager to get home and see your family again." He says with a taunting laugh "I shouldn't keep you. It was a pleasure, Corporal."

"Likewise…"

As soon as I hang up, I look to Nara who is looking at me with a stunned and almost pissed expression. I don't think he was expecting me to belittle the leader of the entire country, but that's his problem. As for what I felt about the Prime Minister, it was mixed. His words were logical but they were threatening at the same time. I didn't like that he tried to enforce his authority over me, but it would be best for me to not associate with Yukinoshita further. While I don't want to make the same mistakes as before, I don't want to open wounds between Yukinoshita and her family that would not heal. Nonetheless, I had made a promise to Yukinoshita that I would come to interrogation and after leaving the room, I straightened my uniform and carried myself in that direction. I also had to make things right before I cut off ties again. This time I would do it properly.

 **A Few Hours Later**

Luckily for me, I had time to think about what I would do. We had finished interrogation of most of the rescued women, gaining some information from them but by the far the most helpful had been Yukinoshita. A divine beauty of almost unmatched intelligence tends to pick up more than a scared average woman who could only speak her native language would. I had interrogated her myself, at her request despite how reluctant the staff had been. From what she had told us, we gained intelligence on a number of their bases and where they were selling their sick "product".

As I only had one day left before I was officially being sent back home, I had made arrangements to speak with Yukinoshita when her escorts had been away. She was confused, but oddly and eagerly accepted the offer, though she did hide it under her typical stoic facial expression. I decided to do it in the mess hall, because no one would be in for another few hours and the fact that the ground was thick with snow that made travel nearly impossible. Plus, the mess hall was actually kind of nice. It had multiple indoor air-conditioning and heating units that kept the place at optimal temperature and there were plenty of seats and tables that allowed me to eat alone and away from the rest of the soldiers. Even in the adult world, I was still a loner.

"Are you perhaps getting aroused from looking at the ceiling, Hikigaya-kun?" Yukinoshita says interrupting me from my monologue and looking around

"I'm pretty sure looking at metal doesn't make normal people aroused."

"Well you're not normal nor are you a person, Hikifroggy-kun." She says with a giggle, damn this woman. I should mess with her a little bit. Although I am not Hindi, I do somewhat believe in Karma and what goes around comes around Yukinoshita

"You know Yukinoshita, I've been pent up for about 4 years now and seeing you now, I might just lose control." I say with a teasing smirk. Of course I would never, but with her constantly saying she fears for her chastity around me, I might as well just give her a bit of a scare. It couldn't hurt it?

She suddenly goes silent at my words and I realize the weight of my words.

"Yukinoshita, I'm sorry that was uncalled for." I say, trying to defuse the situation

"I suppose 4 years would put a number on a beast of your nature. It's to be expected, so I might as well help shouldn't I?" She says smiling shakenly with her face tinted red. Wait what? She begins to loosen up her shirt, revealing her slender frame. Her "assets" had grown quite a bit since I last saw her and she was staring at me intently while moving closer towards me. I was almost frozen. Her eyes pierced into me and conveyed a deep since of hurt, desperation, and longing. It made me disgusted, but yet I couldn't find myself to be angry with Yukinoshita. She went through hell, both with me and those damn human traffickers, but I had to stop this. So with all of my strength, I moved away from the table which confused Yukinoshita.

"Hikigaya-kun...?

"Why are you doing this, Yukinoshita?"

"You said that you needed to release tension. I'm you're friend, so I can help you."

"We aren't friends..."

"Then maybe by doing this we finally will be and this time you won't leave."

It would seem that Yukinoshita had already noticed my intensions to further divide myself from what I had lived through in the past. She was smart, there was no doubt about it. I know that this could just be part of victim dependency on a rescuer. It sometimes happens in cases of extreme terror and fear in a person where they don't want to leave the one that saved them. I do want to be there for her as a person, but the past stands in the way, her family stands in the way, and my insecurities stand in the way. Like a coward, I run away from doing the right thing. I had made a promise to be her pillar of support when I was a coward who could barely stand on his own. Now I face the consequences of that promise.

"Yukinoshita, you're not thinking right. You said so yourself that those guys tried to have their way with you, anything sexual is the last thing you need..."

"THEN HOW CAN I MAKE SURE YOU DON'T RUN AWAY?! I'M NOT JUST DOING THIS BECAUSE OF ME OR BECAUSE OF SOME DAMN VICTIM DEPENDANCY LIKE THEY TRIED TO WARN ME ABOUT IN THE BRIEFING. I'M DOING IT BECAUSE I LOVE YOU HACHIMAN AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT YOU LEFT BEHIND LOVES AND CARES ABOUT YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU ACCEPT THAT?!"

"BECAUSE I'M A GOD DAMN COWARD ALRIGHT?! I'M AFRAID OF WHAT I AM, I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL HURT YOU ALL BY DOING SOMETHING STUPID AGAIN. I WANTED ALL OF YOU TO JUST FORGET ABOUT ME AND MOVE ON."

"You're an idiot Hachiman. You say you don't want to hurt us when the thing that hurts us the most is when you hurt yourself! You promised to stop the social suicides and to stop hurting yourself, but you did the worst possible thing. You ran away from us when we needed you!"

"You didn't need me around, Yukinoshita. Your relationship with Yuigahama and Isshiki improved because I was gone. It was better if I had left, for all of you."

"That is simply untrue, we've been miserable. I've been miserable. When you left the fighting only got worse and fighting did die down, it was replaced with us becoming distant."

"And how would me coming back do anything? There's no guarantee that one of you won't start throwing blame at one another and fighting again."

"Maybe so, but Isshiki-san and Yuigahama-san do want to see you again and at least set things straight. That is for certain."

I sigh and take a deep breath. I've been backed into a corner and I don't have the possibility to quickly end things. I now have to join in and attempt to rebuild their friendships. They didn't deserve to be torn apart by me and my poor decisions, so I will make it right.

"I will be honest with you Yukinoshita. Right now, I'm afraid so I will need some time before I do anything."

"It's understandable, and I can't deny that I am afraid too." She says taking a deep breath "I-If you want Hachiman, you can stay with me in my aparment so you can get your bearings." I am rather stingy with my money as of now, it would be best for me to save for a little while before I settle down somewhere. I'd also need to get a place before I could transfer any of my old belongings from my old house to my new. But to spend god knows how long in Yukinoshita's dorm? Isn't that just begging for unwanted attention and controversy? The country already knows our names, and if the media begun to dig into our high school relationship it would definitely be annoying.

"Yukinoshita, are you sure that would be the best thing for us to do right now? It would do damage to your reputation."

"Perhaps I don't care about reputation when a friend obviously needs help."

"You're not being logical Yukinoshita and plus we aren't friends..." I remind her

"Even if you don't think so, you are that and more to me. If you won't accept it as an act of friendship then consider it has reconciliation for causing you so much pain in the past. Plus, I don't need a lecture on logic from someone that just up and abandoned everything." She says with a stern look on her face

"Fine..." I say, giving up my argument. You can't debate with the logic of a Yukinoshita. "So where is your apartment then?"

"For someone that used to be such a strong "Love for Chiba", it's surprising to hear you ask for directions." She says with a taunting giggle that jabbed at my character.

"Oh please, you've lived there your whole life and yet you still barely know you're way around." This clearly has caught her by the tongue and I smirk victoriously. "Now where is the apartment?"

She gives me the address and when I glance at it, it is a great deal further away from where her apartment previously was.

"Why did you move there of all places? You don't like crowds and that part of the city is fairly populated from what I remember."

"It would seem your brain has rotted a great deal without proper education. I'm attending Chiba University."

"Shouldn't you be off to some sort of rich people school like Tokyo or Kyoto University?"

"Perhaps like you I love Chiba and don't want to leave what I had there behind."

"I may love Chiba, but I still want to leave everything behind me eventually. I'm only doing this to set things right." I say, causing her face to contort in anger. Her eyes sparkled with a burning of passion. It was rare to see Yukinoshita passionate about anything, but I had gotten to see the full brunt of her anger and her genuine emotion. Her strong will has never changed, but she did swear at me due to her emotion. So the break in character is normal when Yukinoshita feels something towards an event. I'm sure that I've made her angry once again.

"You can't run away from this just because you're afraid of the possibility."

"But isn't running away a natural reaction when you're afraid and see danger in a certain event or action? Am I not just acting naturally?"

"There is no real threat to you Hikigaya-kun. I will admit that I am afraid but I also want to set things right and rebuild what we had destroyed. I won't run away from this, but I need you to be there for me."

"Even after all these years, you still expect me to be your pillar of support?"

"I do Hikigaya-kun, promises ought to be fulfilled."

I sigh heavily and begin to walk around the tables. I've noticed that when I sit down for long periods of time that my legs call themselves to action quite often.

"I suppose I can't run away from setting things right, right?" I say as I head towards the exit of the mess hall, "I'm going back to my dorm to get ready, I'll see you at the airport I guess?"

"I'll look for you, Hikigaya-kun."

"Fine by me, later Yukinoshita."

And without waiting around any longer, I rushed out of the mess hall. I had just landed myself into a deep hole but for some odd reason I did not care. I may be afraid, but like Yukinoshita said I still want to set things right. If there was one thing that I learned from this whole military experience is that fear can be a great motivator for people to get jobs done. And the fear of not setting things right is worse than my fear of returning back. In society I do not understand why we always denounce fear, because it is the best motivator. Although cruel in nature, it almost certainly gets jobs done. So I will embrace my fear and use it to push myself through the shitstorm and tremendous task of returning to my old life and fixing what I had done wrong.

 **Author's Note: Hey guys, long time no see. Still have writers block with my other fic and I briefly had it with this so things may be a mess in this. Please point out any mistakes you see in the work but I would say that overall I think this was a successful chapter. Anyway, please leave a review and I will see you all next chapter. Follow, Review, and Favorite.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Dinner with the Devil

A gust of cold and bitter wind greeted my body as I walked down the steps. Before me stood the blinding light of the sun and the equally blinding sound of chatter from all around me. Exiting the plane and making my way down the steps, I regained my sight and before me stood a good view of both the airfield and the sky. Coming from the north, I could see the low hanging of clouds colored the darkest of gray. Great, a storm would be coming later. Turning my gaze upon the airfield, I observe the great variety of man's innovation ranging from his machines that brought him to the sky and buildings large enough to fit thousands of people. The most notable of the buildings were the colossal main building which passengers, arriving from all corners of the world, make their entry and the giant control tower were directions to the pilots were sent and received. Upon the top of the tower were massive satellite dishes that probably extended to the whole of the globe and whose round and gray design were an eyesore due to their huge size, but oddly fitting for the setting. I suppose you can't make the most pretty of sights when you have a job to do. These great buildings were adorned with fine glass and were places where hundreds, if not thousands, of Japanese men and women worked every day. Behind the steps was the plane that had brought me back to my home country and in my hand I held nothing. This may come off as surprising but when you run off into the military, you don't tend to bring a lot with you. All I had were the clothes on my back, which was not in any sort my military gear or uniform. Rather, it was the suit that I had worn during my graduation along with a strong winter coat I had picked up from Izami as a farewell present. While the coat was loose, the suit fits tightly around my frame and it's extremely uncomfortable, but I'd rather not be noticed by these people. Soldiers returning home from war are always welcomed heartedly by the occasional patriot or citizen with cheers. This is especially true when the soldier returns to his wife and child that had been waiting for him to finally make his return. Then it would circulate on the internet under the heartfelt category that would make a person feel good. To be noticed is something that I simply do not want with the most firm of my convictions.

It is debatable whether or not a person of my caliber is deserving of any praise from the common person, but there are things that are for certain. As of now, I have no family to return home to, I have no wife or kid that would unconditionally hold deep and undying love for me, and I am an adult with nothing but the clothes on his back and some pay in his bank. I am someone that has to embrace the difficulties pressed upon him by the future. They say that the future is a place filled with hope and optimism and people affirm that things will always get better. These claims are almost entirely baseless. For individuals like myself, the future has only been littered by problems, strife, and fear. I have learned to come to terms with these things and it is for this reason that I have been labelled as darkly cynical. But the military has taught me a great deal on responsibility and bettering oneself so rather than wallow in misery, I have learned to press forward. There is also the fact that the reunion with Yukinoshita has begun to awaken something within me, a voice calling me to action and to right the wrongs of my past. My mood sours at the thought of facing these problems which I had left behind, but nonetheless I must face them.

But that doesn't mean I must do it immediately.

It took hours to pass through customs and with nothing else better to do, I stepped towards an ATM, withdrew some money and bought a novel from one of the bookstores. It was honestly surprising that an airport would have such a thing, given most people are not readers, but I was inwardly grateful that it did because it cured me of my boredom. Although I knew the novel was drastically overpriced. I decided upon Mishima Yukio's Confessions of a Mask. Its alluring cover had caught my eye and after a few moments of reading it I had become hooked. I followed the story of the main character intently, so much so that I didn't notice how fast time had come to pass. I had reached the front of the line and after having everything sorted out with customs, I was allowed to reenter my home country officially.

The sound of traffic and the occasional cursing of a person over the pricing of a taxi of some sort exploded before me in an almost paralyzing blast of noise. The loudness was unpleasant and increasingly was a longing for my return back to Chiba. I had entered in on a train bound for a more commercial, but less travelled by myself in my younger days, district. This district had always been one of the fastest growing in all of Chiba, which did make sense given it was on the coast. Coastlines hold a tendency to be great centers of commerce, where tourists and citizens of a town alike come to either do business or to enjoy the beach. But upon my arrival, I found that the district was almost devoid of activity, save for the few lone passerby making haste towards whatever affair they had to take care of. Other than that the streets of this district were encompassed by a still and tranquil silence. For some, the silence would leave them in unease and they would seek to leave the place as quickly as possible due to, most of the time, irrational fears of a killer jumping out of them. For me though, places like this signifies the best places of the world. It is free, at least for some time, from the malice of the people's hearts, the anxiety of the future, and the atrocities that happen in the world on a daily basis. It is in these places that I can call moments to think and to ponder and I am sure that I am not the only one that has come to enjoy these tranquil settings. In fact, the majority of great minds in the world have noted that places devoid of activity are often the best places to think about and seethe through information.

I found myself wondering about, while gazing at the various amounts of stores and watching the people. These people were forced to obey the silence to avoid gaining attention from the rest of the people around and I laughed inwardly while being grateful for the irrationality of their fears. I stumbled into a nearby park, which was on the way towards the shore. The shoreline had come into view and I observed in silence. The short beach, which must have gone around 200 meters from the water towards the boardwalk was almost completely dull of life. This was on account that it was not summer, but nonetheless there were a few souls that were there. Although not involved with the water, except for a man dressed in a bodysuit with a serf board hugging closely to his body. He was trying vainly to catch some kind of wave in the mostly tranquil water but his determination was admirable. But there were other souls that were not quite as admirable as the surfer. Upon the beach were a group of riajuus opening laughing at the man's attempts and I found myself rearing in disgust. I've come to know those wretched sorts of people. Those that would never try to do anything difficult and mock those who tried to achieve something. And when those people who put forth the effort do finally succeed, the one's that made the mockery would often hold a great deal of envy and hatred towards the achiever. Some even have the audacity to claim that they didn't have to try that hard or they had a head start because of their upbringing. It is something that truly invokes anger into my heart but because the surfer had not lost his hope, I decide to ignore it. I'm sure the man can cast off their empty criticism.

I trod around the park further and explore it because, oddly enough, it was a massive park that was filled to the brim with vegetation. Various bushes and trees littered the forest but because it was the dead of winter, most lacked even the slightest form of life. Dull gray and brown trunks of sleeping wood rested softly as the cold winter air pressed on. Cherry trees stood without blossoms, but added to the tranquility and stillness of the winter. A small amount of snow covered the ground due to the coldness of the winter, but the paths remained clear from the shoveling away of the snow. The clouds from the north had drawn themselves ever closer to Chiba and hung low in the sky, but still a considerable distance away. Their mixture of grey and dark grey littered the approaching sky giving the implication of a threatening snow storm. Yet I did not mind and, after removing the snow from it, had found myself sitting on a park bench and returning to my novel. Eventually though, towards the late of the day, I had found my eyes grow heavy and I felt myself lose consciousness.

"Hikigaya-kun? Are you awake?" A voice called to me, returning my mind back to consciousness

My eyes adjusted to the recession of the day and the dawn of the evening and I noticed upon opening my eyes I was confronted with two things. The sky was almost pitch black save for the soft gray of the massive clouds above. It was to snow soon, that was for certain. Secondly, holding onto one of my arms and staring me in the face, appeared devil of the most wicked nature before me. Her face had changed little from the last time I had saw her, but it was definite that she had become more feminine and matured in body. But I knew that this women's rotten personality had changed very little, as she was pressing her body extremely close against me. In the past this would have caused me to blush massively, but the blush had been reduced to a soft one of uncomfortableness. I gazed at her and put up my strongest and stern face.

"Yukinoshita-san, could you please let go of me?" I say coldly, only invoking her to giggle

"How mean, Hikigaya-kun. Is that how you talk to your soon to be sister-in-law?"

"…"

"Giving me the silent treatment Hikigaya-kun? I know you disappeared for 4 years but that doesn't mean that doesn't mean your nee-san has forgotten you!" While her expression and words are filled with friendliness, her eyes contain something different. Her eyes can be described as those of a viper, starved with hunger for information. Having declared me as "Interesting", this women would always try to wrap me in her clutches and force me towards action of her desired goal. As much as I don't wish to give her any information, the only way to escape from her would be to satisfy that corrupting hunger. Though, it doesn't mean that I have to explain everything.

"What do you want, Haruno?"

"After disappearing for 4 years, Yukino-chan has said very little to me on the matter but I can tell she's been miserable. She doesn't even hangout with Yuigahama-chan anymore." She says smirking wider and grasping my arm tighter. "And something tells me you're at the root of it all."

A large gust of wind comes before us, reminding of the coldness of the winter air. The temperature had dropped significantly from the day to the evening and my coat no longer sufficed to protect me from the cold. It probably wasn't a good idea to sleep out here either, I'll probably catch a cold. Haruno herself even shuddered at the sheer iciness of that gust of wind but nonetheless remained with a smirk.

"S-Shall we stop somewhere, Hikigaya-kun?" Although you're trying to instate your dominance over me, your shivering voice isn't very convincing. "How about I treat you to dinner?"

"I can handle myself, Haruno. I'm not broke." I say standing up, beginning to walk beside her out of the park

"Always the gentlemen you see."

"Who said I was paying for you?"

"You know you will." Damn… "I'm glad the military didn't change you all that much. Some men come out of that field broken or completely different and dull men. But you stood against it didn't you? After all, you never did like change."

"How did you know I was in the military?" That's not information that she should know, unless Yukinoshita or Yuigahama had told her.

"Well hearing the American President and our own Prime Minister praise you and your captain probably gave me a clue." She said smirking. Oh yeah, that's right. My name would now be somewhat known now because of that incident.

"Alright, I guess I wasn't thinking of that but I have changed."

"Oh? And how so, Hikigaya-kun?"

"…"

"Well Hikigaya-kun?"

"I guess you can say, with what happened with Yukinoshita, I've decided to face what I had left behind." And make amends before I leave again

"Is that so?" She says looking at me with a somewhat lesser grin. She's sizing me up, trying to understand my motive just as she's already done. It's not like I care though. Our walk had continued in silence and surprisingly, although the day had reached evening, the streets had become considerably more active. The ranging of individuals was around 30-40, with some younger souls with higher incomes trotting about. Now that I think of it, this district had some of the highest rated restaurants in the entirety of the city. It's no wonder that Haruno was a frequenter of this place. The stores in the district that weren't restaurants were also receiving a considerable increase in activity from earlier. Signs within stores were lit brightly, beckoning anyone to enter within them and make a purchase. The tranquility of the day had been replaced with the busied and loud activity of a post rush hour crowd.

Before long, we had reached what I supposed was Haruno's choice of restaurant. Displayed on the sign were some words in French that I could not comprehend and before I could react, she had pulled me inside. The change of setting from outside to inside was quite extreme. While the outside was cold and teeming with noise, the building was warm with the gentle sound of orchestra music playing. The interior was that of shined mahogany wood and other expensive decor. This was ranging from marble and granite to what I would swear had to be gold. I stood in awe of the building and wondered very seriously how I could even remotely afford to pay for any of this. Upon seeing my reaction though, Haruno only giggled in response. The line had not been long and somehow I had managed to separate from Haruno and was at the front of the line before I knew it.

"Que désirez-vous, Monsieur?" He says with what sounds to me with what sounds of a condescending tone. Maybe it's because it's in French. But even still, I am left paralyzed at what to do.

"Umm…"

"Nous sommes deux personnes pour diner." Haruno says, wrapping her arm around me and smiling at the waiter. His expression changes from his "Holy than though" kind of face to that of recognition. Does she frequent here? His attention turns back to me and I can see in his eyes a curious yet envious gaze meeting mine.

" Suivez-moi, s'il vous plait."

We follow him and the smell of various dishes fills my nostrils. It is only now that I realize that hunger is biting away at me and I curse myself internally for allowing Haruno to choose this place. Not only is the food going to be expensive but I'm going to have to follow some "Proper rules of etiquette". Not to mention they only speak French here. This is Japan for God's sake, speak Japanese!

As I complain internally, I hold my mouth shut for fear of voicing my disdain and drooling over the amazing aroma of food that fills the room, we reach our table and the waiter hands us both a menu. Sitting down, he leaves us and returns back to his post at the front of the restaurant. We're given a window seat, allowing for me to gaze at the street once again. The wealth difference between those common people and those within this building were apparent. This was an upper class establishment, while that the coldness of that world and the poor quality fast food restaurants outside were for those lesser classes. I don't mean to say this with malice, because there ought to be some difference between the classes to fill individuals of each class with a certain responsibility and understanding towards their life and nation. Rather, I say this because I belong out there with them. I am not upper class, I am vastly different from those within this building. I was once upper middle class when I had lived with my family, but now that I was on my own I only had enough money to support my way through college in some sort of small apartment. And even then it would be difficult. The musings of my mind were brought to an end to a cough from my front. Haruno had her eyes fixated on me and I could tell that she was ready to pry the entirety of my being open to extract information from me.

"It's not to ignore your date, Hikigaya-kun."

"I'm not your date."

"Oh right, saving yourself for Yukino-chan. Got it." This woman… "So why the military of all things? You could have just moved out of the city and went somewhere else."

"Well considering the only merit that I would have for being employed or getting into college would be my grades, I went with the military because I could lessen college expenses while getting away from it all. Although the training had been horrible, I had to break away from some of my principles to get away from that mess."

"Sure you may have broken your traditional "To work is to lose" philosophy, you stood true to another principle of yours."

"And that is?"

"Running away and being a coward."

"…"

As much as I hate to admit, that one hurt deep. To some degree I do believe that Haruno had some care for her sister and with me and my disappearance from their lives damaging the only friendships that Yukinoshita had made, it's no question that she was pissed with me. But unlike Yukinoshita who would act cold and would distance herself from those in which she deemed unpleasant, Haruno acted in the opposite manner. She would come close to those that caught her interests for whatever reason, whether good or bad. She'd lull them into a false sense of security before crushing the victim under her thumb, either making the person a pawn in her endless game of chess in a world of politicians and corporate heads or silence their voice completely so that they may never stand in her way again. She was the definition of a Prince in regards to the novel of Niccolo Machiavelli. There were tidbits of news that I had heard that made me aware of Haruno in recent years. She had become extremely influential within her parent's business and politics and from knowing both her and her mother's nature, I drew up an understanding. However, what kept Haruno crushing me is that I didn't bend under her charms and I could see through her. I could see in her eyes that she hated it but also loved it. It must be boring to not be challenged and when confronted with one, vipers would jump and put all their energies into their attacks or their deceit.

For me she wanted to make me pay by bringing up the pain of my past. She would try to rip me apart and make me crumble in her hands. But as someone that has come to know her nature and by the discipline instilled in me by the military, the anger and regret in which I felt became channeled into a response.

"I suppose you could say the military had broken me of that principle. It has changed me from who I was then to who I am now. I may retain some of my original beliefs, but like you, I will do whatever is necessary. I believe that making right what I had done wrong here is in my best interests, so I will take care of this and neither you nor you parents will get in my way of doing that." She begins to chuckle at words. I notice that I've gathered attention from those around us due to how loud I was. They stare intently at me, probably for the main reason of my lack of care towards not only Yukinoshita Haruno but the entirety of the Yukinoshita family.

These people were upper class and despite having a decent living and positions, like all people of all classes, follow behind what they deem as leaders blindly and rarely challenging them. The only reason we see a struggle between those in charge and the common citizen is because these individuals are of different classes. This is seen in the western world with the evolution of the populist thought. Rarely do individuals challenge those who they have been taught to idolize unless extreme circumstances arise and rarely do they call into question the motives and intentions of those who lead whatever cause they are a part of. In the United States, the federally funded program called Planned Parenthood's founder had openly stated that the reason for its founding was for the limiting of the African American population in the United States. Despite this, the Democrats who supported its creation have rebranded it as being for women's rights and rarely does the Democrat call into question or thought of the morality of the practice of abortion and thus blindly supports it. Despite the practice having obvious negative effects on the morality of society, the mental health of the mother, and the division it brings in most families, the Democrats and the young blindly support the practice because they have been told to do so. Why did I start a monologue about this?

"Hmm… I like that answer Hikigaya-kun. You know I'm glad the military has changed you. You're starting to see how things really are." She says, with visibly less energy than her previous statements "There's also the fact that you've grown quite muscular and the way that old suit hugs your body, you could say I'm getting quite hot and bothered…" She says with the last part being a whisper. Back to the teasing I see. That didn't take long of you, Haruno.

"Could you please cut that sexual shit out? It's getting really annoying."

"My my Hikigaya-kun, you've developed quite the foul tongue. How do you think Yukino-chan is going to react to that?" Well I doubt you've ever heard her curse but she cussed me out pretty badly in our fight

"I doubt she'd care because it's unlikely it'd curse in front of her."

"And you'd do it in front of me and in one of the top rated restaurants in Chiba? You don't have a lot of respect towards your elders or establishments do you Hikigaya-kun?"

"Well when you've lived in the shitter for the past 4 years, you tend not to care where you curse and who you curse in front of when you have no consequence from doing it." I say, relaxing my posture into the seat. It's quite comfortable.

"Well then. You should probably pick out what you want Hikigaya-kun, because I've already made my decision." She turns her menu towards me and I noticed that she's picked out a dish that costs… 8000 yen?! Are you kidding me?! This shit is way too expensive. Upon seeing my expression, she only giggles at my suffering. I guess there goes my returning celebration money. Oh well, might as well make it count. I point out a slightly less expensive dish that had caught my eye and I asked how it was pronounced given it was in French.

"I'll take care of it Hikigaya-kun, French words are difficult to pronounce for people who only speak Japanese."

"Then why the hell did you take me to a French restaurant?"

"Because I wanted to make you suffer a little bit for hurting my Yukino-chan!"

"You're a sadistic bitch you know that?"

"How rude, Hikigaya-kun!" She says with a mocked offensive tone.

Eventually the waiter comes to us and takes our orders. The food comes rather quickly due to the high quality of this restaurant and we dig in. This is probably the best thing I've ever had, although that may just because I've been living off rations for the past 4 years. Yeah, that's probably it. Nothing beats ramen noodles! We end up making meaningless small talk that does prove useful to me. From what Haruno has said, Chiba has gone through a number of infrastructure improvements and there is a lot more activity and industry in the region. It should be relatively easy for me to earn a job if that is truly the case.

Eventually though, the waiter returns with the bill and I cringe internally at the price and with great reluctance, pay it with my bank information much to Haruno's enjoyment. Technology has become a great deal more advanced since I've been in Chiba because the waiter had come with a sort of machine that allowed me to put in my bank information. Woah, technology dude!... I sound like a dumbass…

I wave Haruno off and make my way out of the restaurant. Grabbing the note in my pocket and moving towards the train station, I make the stroll towards Yukinoshita's new apartment. Just as I do so though, snow begins to fall slowly from the sky. This creates an illusion of a winter wonderland but it is anything but. This is a world of mistakes and reconciliation and after my dinner with the Devil herself, this realization became even further planted in my mind.

 **Author's Note: HELLO MY BABIES, I'M BACK. So, first things first. It's been a long time but for good reason. I've had a lot of activities going on with both my family life and school but there is some good news out of this. I got some help from some of my friends that read part of this chapter and helped improve my grammatical mistakes in it, so that's good. Please point out grammatical mistakes if you see them. There's also the fact that I've made this chapter a lot longer than I normally do and I tried to put more monologue into Hachiman's character. I think it really shows Hachiman's maturity and the fact that being alone has given him a lot of time to think about things within life. Anyway, yay for a longer chapter and I'll see you guys next time. Sorry it's been so long!**

 **ALSO, PLEASE REVIEW THIS MY FRIENDS! I LOVE REVIEWS!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: And so, a stronger pillar of support is needed and brought

To call myself downtrodden with worry and nervousness would be an understatement. Despite the thickness of the clouds, the moonlight shone faintly through them and helped bring illumination over the city whose night life had just begun. I must admit, the city has changed quite a bit since the time of my departure into the military. No longer was Chiba that quiet and reserved city whose only notoriety came from its agricultural industry. It had turned itself into a center of some form of new industry and had grown for itself an emerging night culture, though aspects of the quiet Chiba still remained. The train car was, for the most part, silent despite the number of people onboard and I found myself internally grateful for the modesty and respect of the passengers who seemed to me obedient to their laws of formality in late night situations. It gave me time and the ability to collect my thoughts.

It was not the significant changed that caused me to be worried however; it was where the train was heading that made me afeard.

I watched with an anxious heart our passing of multitudes of train stations that would eventually lead me to the district of Yukinoshita's apartment. It was awkward for a young man and a young women to reside in the same residence despite having no romantic relation to one another. For me though, this situation was made especially difficult with my past mistakes and I cursed myself inwardly for my heart's desire of reconciliation with the errors. Why could I let myself find peace elsewhere?

Despite the musings of my mind, my heart proved itself to be the ultimate master of my decision making and very rarely could I stop my heart from bringing me into the fold of some conflict. While my mind was cold, observing, and noninterventionist in nature, my heart proved itself quickly called to the cause of action in the name of ideals. I suppose that my heart, in the end, is what now keeps me from turning into the "Monster of Logic" of the past. It was through the Service Club that I turned away from my "Monster of Logic" mindset and became, in Hiratsuka's words an "Emotionally driven idiot." The idiot part is debatable, but I suppose emotionally driven proves itself right at this point. It is for no other reason but sheer emotion was I coming to stay with Yukinoshita.

Wait a minute, speaking of Yukinoshita, wasn't I supposed to meet her at the airport?

Oh… Shit…

DAMNIT! HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT HER SO DAMN EASILY?! SHE'S GOING TO BE SO DAMNED PISSED!

I honestly really hate being forgetful. Screw my lack of sleep on that God forsaken plane, screw my being lost in thought, and screw my distractions. I had dinner with her sister yet I forgot about her. I really am terrible. Luckily, Yukinoshita had given me her address of a note as some sort of precaution so I wouldn't be sleeping on the streets….

I sigh inwardly and notice that my turmoil has caught the attention of a multitude of passengers. I could feel them making their silent and closed minded judgements towards me but luckily all I had to do was form an intimidating face and quickly was the attention retracted from me. It's best not to mess with a buff guy in a suit. I suppose with the rotten look of my eyes and my burly figure I am given the image of a thug. I suppose it does have its perks.

 _Now Arriving at Chiba University District_

It often comes as a surprise that a city would have an entire district made in dedication towards a university, but in Chiba has there been made special occasion for this circumstance. Chiba University was the only university within Chiba and because it was one of the best in the nation and it being the only university in the city did it generate a large sum of revenue upon its formation. It would also become the center of a new district in time. This was due to the circumstances of above as well as a multitude of different education centers ranging from elementary schools to high schools dotted the district as well as a number of stores focusing primarily of the selling of student supplies.

And with the arrival of the train into the district, I quickly made my way off of the train and surprisingly I was the only one who left the train.

"Ah man, being soooo quiet on that train was –hic- like totes annoying!"

Or so I thought…

I turned around to be met with that same group of riajuus on the beach. There were 3 men and 2 women, all of which were around my age. Although I was considerably bigger than them. But I noticed that there was something peculiar of this lot, they are reeked of alcohol. Both of the women and 2 of the men stumbled about like toddlers just learning to walk. The one guy who did not look like his IQ had dropped by 40 points stared with an annoyed and tired expression at his friends. Guessing he's the driver. But I was honestly surprised with this riajuu, he had managed to keep a bunch of young drunkards silent on a train that would otherwise be devoid of sound. It was quite a feat.

But from there did any admiration for that riajuu end as swiftly had it came.

One of the girls, probably the most drunk but oddly quiet, had vomited all over the floor of the train station and upon some her friends. This proved to be the last straw for their driver, who raised his hand swiftly and smacked the girl across the face causing her to instantly collapse to the ground. The other drunk riajuus seemed shocked at their driver's reaction, but none seemed to hold any care for their friend just getting hit upon the first.

"Yo, hit herrr again bro! She's sooo druunnkk that she won'tt remember it." Said the other drunk with slurred words "And why nott have –hic- a little fun with da both of 'em huh?" he continued grabbing onto the other drunk women's chest who was too weak or unaware of the severity of the situation to voice any sort of protest.

Instead of being rational and stopping that foolish, evil, and drunken lusted motives of his drunk friend, the driver instead yanked the drunk girl up and grabbed her by the crotch. I've had enough of this, not only does it make my stomach turn in disgust but should I not report it, I'd likely be hailed with some form of criminal charge.

"Oi!" I said, gaining their attention. They drunks seemed annoyed and slightly angered by my presence and the driver, although trying to display some sense of innocence in the matter, had his eyes filled with fear and anger at being caught.

"What're you doing hereee, bro? I don' recognize you fromm any 'a da dorms!" yelled one of the drunk idiots, with his hand still groping the chest of the drunk women who stared with a sort of wide eyed expression towards me.

"That's none of your business, 'bro' But what is my business as from the looks of it, you are sexually harassing 2 women."

"Bro what're you evennn saying? We ain't doing nothin' to 'em." I'm surprised the driver hasn't stepped in yet

"That's not what I'm seeing here. All I see is a couple of lowlifes taking advantage of two women."

"That's not what happened, I'm just taking them all back to their dorms."

"Then why did you smack that women when she threw up and grab her crotch?" I said with an increasing amount of anger. This proved to reach the drunks and caused their anger to boil over, culminating in an ill prepared punch aimed towards my jaw. With a great deal of ease, I move out of the way and land a punch directly into his stomach causing him to stumble over and cough heavily. Their driver jumps at me in a frenzied manner and launches a barrage of punches and kicks towards me, I dodge the majority because of his apparent ignorance in the concept of fighting but nonetheless did he land a couple of hits. Though, what took him nearly 20 hits to catch me off-guard allowed me to land two swift hits to his jawline and nose, causing a tad bit of blood to spill upon the ground. He cursed aloud and held his nose in pain. The other drunk proved too scared to do anything and they stood with afeard expressions towards my next move.

"I want you to take your friends, bring them home, and never bother these women again. Should I see you making any sort of attempt like this, I will call the police and have you all arrested. Do you understand me?"

The driver nods and although he and his drunk friends cast dirty expressions, they leave which left me alone with two drunk women. I walked over towards the two and helped the women who had been knocked down into her own vomit up from the ground. Without thinking, I gave her my coat to cover her with.

"Thank you…" The other women said, trying to help her friend up from the ground and hold her stable

"Where are you two staying?"

"Anami's… House is –hic- super far away from her so she can stay with me in my dorm…"

"Lead the way."

And without any more talking, which despite her being drunk caused the women to hold an awkward expression, we made our way towards the grounds of the university although Yukinoshita's apartment was a little whiles away from the school. I didn't mind, because I wouldn't be able to forgive myself should I had let those events transpire. Anami was still recovering from the hit and was heavily drunk to the point where I felt pity towards her, and for the both of them. We reached the women's dorm and after bidding me farewell, closed the door and entered themselves into safety. I smiled contently and with little thought of the incident did I make my way towards Yukinoshita's apartment once again.

But this did not signal the end of activity of my mind, in fact as I drew nearer towards my destination my thoughts began to buzz with activity. What was I to say after these events had transpired? Was I to inform Yukinoshita of what happened or was I to focus on other matters? I'm sure Yukinoshita would want answers as to why I had abandoned her at the airport and anxiousness soon returned to me. It was in this moment that the same fear that I had when I entered into boot camp came back to me. That fear of the unknown and that fear of the harshness of punishment, although in a lesser degree.

I had reached her apartment complex and it was very apparent that, like her old apartment, did it contain a great sum of luxury and an equal amount of expense in the renting of rooms. It stood high among the other complexes, ranging from about 14-16 stories high. It was adorned with a great deal of splendor, ranging from a lion statue of marble outside and a polished granite counter in its lobby. In its lounge were a multitude of flat screen TVs with posh and polished couches of pure white leather that held the appearance of not a single scratch or stain. It was fancy and I am sure that Yukinoshita's room was just as, if not more, posh then the lounge and lobby.

I entered the elevator, which was adorned with a bronze looking steel and a view of the streets below, and hit the button to the 13th floor. The door slid closed in an instant and I felt my body become light like a feather as the elevator travelled rapidly from the ground floor towards its destination. It gave me a rush of adrenaline, due to my lack of liking towards elevators, and I was given the feeling of my heart sinking. It felt as though I was on the top of the hill of a rollercoaster about to tip into rapid decline towards the ground with a lightning and horrifying speed. But instead of being atop of a rollercoaster's hill, I was to meet Yukinoshita and make the first steps towards facing my mistakes. Which also involved with the furtherment of my life in university.

The hall was fancily carpeted with what looked to be a mix of modernism and Victorian English in its design. This style continued with the interior walling of the hallway with the plaster being a sort of rich and dark peach color with various portraits of different sceneries dotting the walls. Some portrayed images of what could be presumed to be the previous owners of the apartment complex as well as portraits and drawings of different scenes in nature such as the Chiba seashore and pure and open plains teeming with vegetation. There was no doubt that these were all done in a professional manner.

To light the hallway, some of the apartment doors had some sort of light adorned at the top of the them. There was also, periodically placed around, a number of desks whose contents could be presumed as empty. On top of them stood a number of lamps, which were the same across all desks with the only variation between them being an occasional shifting of color ranging from greens to browns, which seemed to be made of a hardened linen that was immune to the heat and the possibility of flame. The reason I knew this was because as I entered the hallway, it was warmer than the temperature of the lobby which had considerable welly done air condition. Those light bulbs must be expensive to keep on during the night.

Despite its seemingly ancient design, the hallway held for itself a number of modern aspects. The doors were the prime example of this. Most of the doors were either painted a bright white or a dark black and almost all of the doors were lined with a gold colored trim. The door handles themselves were of the same color, but likely made of metal and possibly of gold due to wealth of this apartment complex. The lights adorning the door were likely a LED sort of light too and provided a great deal of the illumination in the hallway.

However, as I quietly took in my surroundings, I found that the door had begun to close due to my immobile stance for a good portion of 10 seconds. I quickly jumped forward and caught the door before it shut and entered the hallway. I looked to the door numbers, that also outside of them a sort of mail compartment, to find Yukinoshita's room.

589….597….602.

There it was, her door. From what I could see by the slight crack at the bottom of the door, the lights were on and she could be presumed as being here. My muscles ran with a high tenseness as I reached towards the door. Why was I doing this? Why couldn't I have just gone back to my old house and faced it Komachi? Why did I have to be a coward in acting in cowardice towards what could be seen as a mere inconvenience? In this moment, facing Komachi seemed an easier task than knocking on a damned door!

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

But there was no going back, I was here and it wouldn't be right for me to up and abandon Yukinoshita when I had promised to come back. Not to mention I don't feel like going back to the train station and waiting for what could be a good half an hour for another train in this bitter cold night. I then heard the sound of soft footsteps moving towards the door and I felt myself gulp heavily in my afeard and nervous state.

The door swung open and there, in her full cold, noble splendor, stood Yukinoshita with what was not a noble assortment of clothing, but rather loose and baggy pajamas that would come across contrary to what the common person would see as fitting towards a person of her societal ranking, but proved oddly fitting towards her and her character. The reason I say this was because she was wearing pajamas with a certain panda that she had a slight obsession with, despite her age. Somehow, it soothed me.

But if I seemed a pervert to be looking at her body, it was nothing to gazing her in the face. Upon seeing me, her face was visibly shocked and her lips were visibly parted, as if not knowing what to say at my sudden and late appearance. But this was not the main concern. Her hair hung loosely around her form, being only lightly kept and slightly wet, giving the implication that she had recently showered. It gave to her a sort of soft and adorable look that could capture the thoughts and the perversions of young and uncontrolled men. I am sure that any man would have trouble in controlling himself but luckily, I was not any ordinary man.

I had firm control of myself due to both my natural convictions on hormones and the acting on those hormones that often blinded young men. This was furthered by the training given to me by the military. Nonetheless, I still felt the sway of the hormones and captivating image of Yukinoshita's form and I was left with a slight blush on my face.

"Good evening, Hikigaya-kun." She said slowly, testing the waters

"Yo…" And I tested the waters along with her

"Do you want to come in?"

"Sure…"

She held the door open for me and as soon as I walked in, quickly shut it although likely not on purpose and not being too loud. The room was a stark contrast to the outside hallway was, in fact this apartment could almost be described as a five star hotel room for VIPs. It was almost entirely modern in design and the living room of the apartment was quite large. It contained a flatscreen TV as well as two dark brown leather couches as well as a single green chair that was likely of the same material as a normal couch. In the middle stood a large, metallically legged coffee table with its top being made of a mixture between a sort of black steel and a clear and stainless glass. Entrenched in the glass were a number of advanced geometric patterns with a variety of colors. On top of it stood a white vase with a number of markings containing a bouquet of flowers.

"You're remarkably late, Hikigaya-kun. I ended up waiting for you for a nearly 2 hours. I was afraid that they might have stopped you due to your suspicious activity and had detained you, but that doesn't seem the case."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. It's just that I forgot." I thought I saw her face shift to hurt, but it must have been my imagination

"It's fine… You're here now right?"

"Yeah…"

Well, this is awkward. I don't know exactly what to say or how to proceed with this. Do I want to ease the mood and be light hearted or do I want to get down to business? It's late in the night and it's been a long day. All I really want to do is sleep but I must attend to Yukinoshita, as I am in here home and will be staying her for the foreseeable future.

"Would you like some tea, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Sure, that would be nice."

And with a great deal of haste she leaves the room and goes towards the kitchen. I pull out the novel from the bookstore from my pocket and begin to read. I suppose the best course of action for us, due to the lateness of the night and us just returning home, was to recreate the sort of atmosphere that the service club had. An atmosphere of silence that conveyed a number of emotions within it without having to utter any sort of words. It was odd to make the return towards what I had previously abandoned and it filled me with a sort of pained regret that I had done so. But I fell into it with surprising ease and by the time Yukinoshita had returned and noticed what I had done, fell into this old distant practice with me.

Taking a sip from the tea, it reminded me even further of how dearly I missed these types of moments. Despite the fact that this was done out of not knowing what else to do.

Instead of sitting across from me or a great deal away from me, Yukinoshita decided to seat herself at my side. After half an hour though, I soon noticed her focus had shifted away from her book and towards me. And I noticed that, ever so slightly, Yukinoshita's arms were moving towards me. I tried to ignore it, but she then grabbed my hand and pulled herself closer towards me. Yet I did not protest, given the feelings I thought she felt and my uncertainty of my feelings towards her. She likely wanted me to be a sort of comfort towards her after what had happened and I wanted to see if I was willing to go to that extent. She pressed the right part of her body against me and leaned her head on my shoulder, securing herself there. She shivered a tad bit at the touch and so did I, but she continued with it until she got comfortable.

"Hey…" She said finally, after a few moments

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to talk to you, about what happened…"

"I guess there's no point in avoiding it, you can start whenever you're ready."

She took a moment to collect herself, letting go of my hand and sitting up straight. Though her body was still leaning against mine, but was not in any way bothersome due to how light she way. She chuckled lightly, which conveyed her anxiety and nervousness before turning to me.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just, I don't know where to begin. So much has happened that it just seemed like the beginning had been a long time ago."

"Try focusing on what happened before you were… taken…"

"It was late, a few months ago, and I had finished my classes and was going out to grab groceries. That was, until a van came out of nowhere and out came those… people." She said with a heavy, labored voice that got quicker and more frantic "They were all wearing masks. They grabbed me and I tried to fight back, but the got hold of my arms and threw me into the van. They hit me over the head, and left this scar…" She pulls some of her hair out of the way, making visible a long but faded gash on the right portion of her head

"It didn't knock me out, and I continued to kick and I screamed as loud as I could but no one came… But they tried to have their way with me and I remember them grabbing their things and…" She sobbed heavily and both my oni-chan instincts and my natural human insticts kicked in and wrapped my arms around Yukinoshita's body. She returned the gesture with a great deal more force than I was exerting and was even digging her nails into my skin as to not let me go.

I had seen this type of thing hundreds of times before, where someone, who was taken was traumatized, poured their heart out to whoever was willing to listen and it is in these moments that the best moments of the human spirit are captured. For the majority of us, when someone breaks it brings about a selflessness towards the matter and brings about an unconditional support and ear for the person to speak their problems to us or to seek protection in us, even if we are just strangers to one another. Every time I saw this happen I felt 2 emotions, one of which being sympathy and the other being intense anger towards those had brought the person harm.

Yukinoshita's case brought about these emotions to me, with a stronger feeling than I normally have towards the matter, as well as another feeling. It was the feeling of intense worry. Yukinoshita had always been a strong figure, in my eyes and that of the world. Even though I know that there is something more to that perceived strength; a natural sort of weakness and a desire to be understood prevents her from being the total ice queen that she appears to be. It also makes her human. But even with these things, she still held a dignity in whatever she chose to do. Her display of only a portion of her traumatic experience to me made me worry for how I was to deal with this. I didn't want to say or do anything that would have lasting damage on her fragile mind in this moment.

"They did- didn't do anything to me… They weren't able to… I was able to stop them, but the others… some of them weren't so lucky." She said, continuing her heavy sobbing

"It's okay, Yukinoshita…" I coo softly into her ear trying to calm her "I'm here and we can go take you for therapy, if you want."

"The only therapy I need right now is you, Hachiman." She says somewhat loudly, conveying her desperation "I don't need some therapist giving me pills or writing in a notebook about what she thinks my condition is. Right now you're the only person I can truly trust, you're the only person that I think has actually been able to see into me, and you're the person that I don't want to live without."

"Yukinoshita…"

"I never stopped loving you, Hachiman. You have been on my mind every single day for the past 4 years. I haven't forgotten you because you stole my heart, you dirty, rotten, thief."

There is a good chance that what she is saying is as a result of the heat of the moment as well as her trauma. When victims are rescued, they sometimes have a strong tie towards the rescuer. But her words conveyed a strong sense of passion and were genuine, so I could not ignore them. She had loved me before and it was impressive that she still felt that way, even after what I had done. But I can't return these feelings, because I don't know what I feel about Yukinoshita. Everything has happened so fast and I haven't been able to gain an understanding of the new Yukinoshita. For her sake and for mine, I could not return that sort of feeling. Yukinoshita is deserving of honest and real feeling not any unreal feeling made with perceived obligation. If I am to love her, it should be real. Her sobbing as stopped now, but her face was still red

"I can't return the feeling, Yukinoshita. It's been so long and we've both changed in so many ways. I may not be the person who you want."

"I suppose that is to be expected…." She says "But I'm going to fufill that offer you made me when we first met."

"And that is?"

"Be my friend, Hachiman."

She says, staring me in the eyes and looking determinedly toward me. Her face was stained red with her tears and her eyes shone like a vulnerable and rich blue, although she had stopped crying. She looked beautiful and majestic, but it did not blind me from doing what was actually right to do in this situation. To take Yukinoshita's offer was my best course of action for making amends and helping Yukinoshita.

"I will, Yukinoshita."

She smiled and returned to her original position. No other words were said not because of awkwardness but because there was no need to. These moments had happened in the service club were awkwardness turned into peace. They were thus fitting towards us because we were the first 2 members. We returned to our books and sat there for what must have been 4 hours or so. Yukinoshita eventually fell asleep though, but rather than disturb her I got up and grabbed a blanket, pulling it over her sleeping body.

As to not invade her privacy, I moved towards the balcony door and stepped outside. Snow had been falling at a more rapid rate from the sky, and despite the cold temperature, I stayed outside and watched. The clouds moved slowly toward the shore and the city buzzed with soft activity. The apartment exposed much of the city, not just the district. Although the district was almost devoid of light, the rest of the city was still active and shone brightly with light and business activity. Young people partied, office workers worked their late shifts, and the moon shone faintly through the clouds. It was peaceful despite the turmoil of my life and the world. The process of rebuilding what I had destroyed would prove very difficult but seeing Yukinoshita expose a very human side of her and the possibility of fixing the friendships that I had destroyed between being there, it made the process very worth wile. I had dinner with a devil, I had fought stopped two rapes, and I had gained an even closer look at Yukinoshita's passionate and human side. Although today had proved very stressful, I had gained an unlikely friend in my struggle.

 **Author's Note: Wow, exactly 5k words. Good Job me. An extra chapter that's longer and in a shorter period of time. It was really hard to make this and it took me 2 whole school blocks just to do, so like 3 hours. As usual, if there are mistakes please report them but also leave a review on the story in general. I may have to rewrite this chapter because I kind of just wrote this as things came to my mind and I may not be content with how Yukinoshita and Hikigaya have acted. Nonetheless, it was fun exploring the state of mind of Yukinoshita.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW AND I'LL SEE YOU ALL NEXT TIME**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Breakfast, A Stroll, and An Airhead

In the time of Spanish rule over the whole of the South American continent, when Spain held for itself a relevancy in international affairs, though dying slowly with the passing of time, was born a man in what was to be known as Venezuela who rejected his noble heritage in the name of Freedom of his continent from the vice filled grip of that dying empire. His name was Simon Bolivar, the liberator of Latin America. In time, despite his profound influence in the freeing of Latin America from Spanish rule, he was hated by those various revolutionaries for the main reason that he represented interests not of his own, but rather of those downtrodden poor souls that inhabited the land. He was a man that held greatly the ideals and principles of Republicanism and concerned himself not of the selfish ambition of those various revolutionary leaders who, although supporting him in the terms of military and finance, sought to further their own wealth and ambition. He was a people's man at heart and in the end, especially after his death, became very well loved despite it not being apparent to him in the later portion of his life when he was dying of sickness. Those revolutionaries would, in one way, honor his wishes and would free South America from the grip of Spanish rule but would dishonor him by splitting South America into various states and keeping that rigid class system of the Spanish Empire.

The revolutionaries would then establish governments that were the pure definitions of what the Republican nature was. They, like all other forms of government, wanted to hold a tight grip upon their power and this was especially the case in South America where different revolutions and different generals grasped desperately for any sort of power in the region. Despite the intervention of the US over the course of history, this would still remain the case. The idealism of freedom and equality that is so common in first world republics could in no sense be created in South America due to both the natural authoritarian nature of man that was only strengthened in the midst of great struggle as well as the division and makeup of the classes had planted itself firmly in the psychology of those masses that lived within the nations of South America. The Republics of South America would display with honesty why Democratic government is not ideal. The class system was the culmination of Spanish Imperial minds, who established the class system of Latin America on the basis of race and origin. Even after the "Liberation" of South America, it was deemed natural for those traditional heads to hold their power and those traditional classes to continue their toiling and working of the various plantations. The positions of the lower classes would not improve and neither would those in power. The wealth of South America's rich resources would go out to the rest of the world by the hands of foreign based companies while the governments and people quarreled amongst themselves. Instead of working to better the situations in their nations which would seem obvious in the situation of South America, they found themselves always in bitter rivalry and conflict with each other. These rivalries and conflicts would carry themselves into all segments of life, even up into politics.

Various political groups fought each other through the means of intimidation, assassinations, and bribery to gain their power and direct the country in a way that benefited them. Whatever group that was blessed with the power over the nation would hold power through illegal means, in most cases, and would remain in power until they were eventually overthrown or outmaneuvered by their opponents. The political thought of the various violent political parties and gangs was only used as a justification for a group to gain power. This was due to, upon obtaining power, the leaders of the political party had the obligation to benefit those who brought them to their power. In Latin America, this is through funneling tax money illegally and political assassinations. In the rest of the world it was either done by the same means in different names or it was done through destroying a person's reputation and removing them from power as quickly as possible. The latter would apply mostly to first world countries. The nature of Democratic and Republican governments was indeed the most corrupt and horrid things on this earth. Although an Authoritarian government has the greater potential to be brutal and corrupt if not properly set up, Democratic and Republican governments in all cases would, in the end, prove themselves dishonest and eventually would only serve the various officials' and parties' interests.

The severity of the Latin American situation was due to the fact that Latin America proved itself to be a black hole of investments. It proved itself to be a place where corruption, greed, and malice ran rapid and funds, given in the name of Humanitarianism, would be used to support the building and toppling of various Republics, Military Dictatorships, and Communist regimes through the course of history. Despite a claim of liberation of the people of South America, the same rigid class system remained in place and those innumerable generations of the various races continued to be bound into the lower class system. Many of them would be content with this due to both the dictation of culture, threat of violence, and the lack of education in these lower classes.

I could imagine what Bolivar was thinking as he stared from heaven because, in a sense, I was in the same situation as he. I had come to realize that despite my actions to act as a unifier and destroy what I saw as wrong, I had only served as the divider between Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and Isshiki. I thought that by stepping out of their lives would improve the situation and bring them together once again. This was far from the truth. While the fighting had stopped, they were no longer friends and had become distant from one another. But unlike Bolivar, who was bound by the grip of death and unable to act upon the mistakes, I was still alive and had the opportunity to spring to action.

I have come to notice that this thought of being able to rebuild and fix what I had done has been a recurring thought in my mind. So much so that I am almost at the point of annoyance at its persistency. It would seem that I had gone mad and that I was musing on a single thought without being called to action. I was restless because I was not making action to reconcile with those I had abandoned, my family and the other members of the service club. Instead, I was lying in Yukinoshita's apartment with a great deal of laziness that would have, in the military, forced the order to be given to me for a running of many laps around the base.

These were the musings and feelings put forth by my heart, wanting to immediately reconcile and face everything at once. But my mind proved to hold some sway over my heart. While I was still seeking to achieve what my heart had deemed right and necessary, it would be done on my mind's accord. Logic dictated that I should be patient and thoughtful before acting on anything and that I should become situated and accustomed to the situation before jumping into the fray. It was the mark of any logical mind, but few people in this world would listen to logic and would jump in without knowledge. This would only lead them to ruin and ruin in this moment could spell disaster for any further goal. Should I fail, it is likely that I would become homeless.

As much as my mind wanted to muse and my heart wanted to spring to action, I was still to be lulled towards the urges in my bowels. As morning comes, duty calls as they say.

I stood up and after stretching a tad to make my body able to move, I went towards the bathroom to conclude my business. To call the bathroom grand and extravagant would be an understatement. The bathroom lowered a few feet towards the ground with steps leading down into a small room, almost like a bedroom. The only similarity between this bathroom and a small bedroom were their sizes. The tile gleamed like freshly carved and chiseled marble, polished by servants whose sole existence would be in dedication to making the tile spotless. The mirror was outlined with a sort of gold trim that, despite the heavy hanging warm mist in the air, did not rust or lose its pure dry look. Adorning the tower rack were a multitude of towels that had either a sort of cat sowed into them or a pan-san design. Typical of you, Yukinoshita.

Without wasting anymore time, I hurried towards the toilet and concluded my business with a flushing of the toilet. Wait a minute, why was this fog here anyway?

"Hikigaya-kun…?!" I heard Yukinoshita's shocked sort of yelp. My head turned and faintly through the fog adorning the glass of the shower door I could see Yukinoshita's naked form turned towards me with what looked to be a shower head in hand. Shit! Stupid fucking morning brain! Why didn't you notice that she was in here?!

"Sorry Yukinoshita, I'll.."

"GET OUT!" With her shout, I bolted towards the door in what would seem a vain attempt as avoiding a sexual harassment charge "AND WASH YOUR HANDS!"

"Right!" Rinse and Laver, Rinse and Laver, Rinse and Laver! Drying my hands, I slammed the door as fast as I could, which echoed through the whole the apartment. I sighed and despite my heartrate, found myself relaxed at the colder and less humid bathroom. As I moved towards the kitchen, I took a look towards the balcony.

The sun's light, colored a bright yellow with a mixture of orange at the edge of the light rays, shone blindingly into the apartment illuminating it and giving it warmth in one single move. In the areas where the sun did not quite make it, dull, lightened shadows made their appearances going to and fro around the apartment. The apartment was entirely visible and one could observe the fine details of the walls.

The Balcony itself, adorned on its edge plants of varying origins, was covered thickly in snow from the previous night. The plants were also in the same condition which could not be beneficial towards the health on first glance, but the majority of the plants lied dormant for the coming of the next spring. I had the urge to step outside and gain a better view of the outside world but, upon reaching the glass and feeling the chilling temperature of the outside world, decided against it. Nonetheless, I looked outside from the glass and took in the various little details of the world, the moving of birds, the sounds of early morning traffic, the faint moving of the higher air sung before my ears in an oddly harmonious symphony the feeling of city life. A feeling that had grown distant from me since the beginning of my deployment.

The sound of a door opening broke me from my observations for a brief moment and, turning around to meet the source of the sound, was I met with Yukinoshita's threatening gaze as her slender womanly body was wrapped softly in her towel. There was no doubt she was pissed and I had to make amends for what I had done. I waited for her to get changed, which she did as she disappeared into what I presumed was her bedroom. Coming out though, her gaze was not at all soft and she was instead focused on entering the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Yukinoshita, I wasn't thinking straight when I went in. I'm not that lively in the mornings." It was an awkward apology, how are you supposed to apologize when it should have been painfully obvious that you shouldn't have entered?

"That is simply not the case Hikigaya-kun, you merely used the restroom as an opportunity to spy on me. Pervert!"

"Huh?! You were looking at me through the shower door and you didn't say anything until after I flushed!"

"That's..."

"Well?"

"L-let's just agree to forget about this..."

"Agreed…"

Yukinoshita and I had moved into the kitchen, reduced to silence due to the awkward transaction between us. We were once again left unable to communicate by our previous conversation despite the natural progression of the moment should be further conversation.

"You can take a shower Hikigaya-kun, I have a few spare towels in the restroom." Perhaps getting me out of the room for the time can allow for us to resume normally

"Thanks…"

I had barely caught it, but I did smell pretty badly. It was probably not the best idea to sleep in a suit for the entirety of the night. Though, it did prove to be the only thing that I had to wear other than my underwear. Not wasting a moment, I moved towards the restroom and undressed myself. I threw my clothes lazily towards the door.

Stepping into the shower, I turned on the water and was met with the feeling of pure, unadulterated bliss. It had been a long time since I had a warm shower and my muscles instantly relaxed at the water coming down. Yukinoshita's smell, which was of a faint sort of feminine soap, still lingered within the bathroom which made me consciously aware that we were to be sharing a restroom for the time being. But rather than become uncomfortable as I had in the beginning of boot camp, chose to ignore it as I grabbed what looked to be a gender neutral soap and shampoo. I am inwardly grateful towards you for owning these, Yukinoshita.

As I exit the shower, I notice that my clothes are now gone and I am left bare and naked. And without the warmth of the shower, my body immediately chills to the surrounding air.

"Yukinoshita?" I call out, opening the door with the towel being wrapped around my waist

"One moment Hikigaya-kun, I got you a change of clothes." She says walking towards me with a pair of pan-san pajamas. Oh hell no.

"Why?" Her expression turns to an annoyed and disgusted look that seems to be common for her whenever I make a suggestion.

"Because Hikigaya-kun, your clothes are filthy and they need to be washed. Not to mention that-"

"You're getting hot and bothered by them?" I accidently tease. Fuck my locker talk man! Her expression immediately turns crimson and her gaze shifts away from me, handing me the pajamas and walking away. Guess I've no choice but to wear them and make myself look like an idiot. Is this your form of torture towards me Yukinoshita? Truly, you are a cruel being.

Despite what was commonly expected of going through rigorous training, the size of my body did not increase dramatically due to my service. It had grown though, I was no longer a scrawny kid and I was toned heavily with muscle. My body would have to remain small due to my job as a sniper. This was much to my liking because smaller targets are much harder to hit. The pajamas were tight, but I was still able to put them on and move effectively so it wasn't so bad. My body's form was clearly displayed through them though, which may make it a tad bit awkward. Well, whatever.

I moved into the kitchen and was the smell of something pleasant greeted my nose. A strong smell of a spiced meat hung in the air and carried itself around the apartment. A slight fog had developed in the kitchen where the sizzling of meat upon a pan could be heard audibly from a short distance away. Why is this apartment so humid?

I entered the kitchen and saw Yukinoshita with her hair hanging gracefully down her back, conveying almost the sense of cold and dignified beauty. This would have been the case if she wasn't wearing that same pan-san apron that I had grown accustomed to in the past. Under that she wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of black jeans that hugged around her waist tightly and defined her backside quite well. Or maybe I'm just being a pervert, who knows.

She hummed softly to herself what I'm guessing was a song that I had never heard. I was surprised at her voice, I knew that she could sing but I didn't know that she did so when she was alone. She had her eyes closed with a slight grin on her face as she swayed from side to side to the sound of her own voice. Her voice went high and low periodically and the little melody she hummed conveyed a strong feeling of contentment and familiarity towards what she was doing. I guess behind a layer of ice was a woman after all.

It'd be weird if I continued to watch her so I walked towards her, gaining her attention. Her face turned a noticeable pink and her lips slightly parted in shock, probably for being caught singing.

"Morning." I said, trying to ease her embarrassment and trying to hide the fact that I had witnessed her doing something so innocent, yet embarrassing.

"G-good morning, Hikigaya-kun." She said, turning her focus back on her cooking, "D-did you sleep well?"

"For the most part yeah, though I think I went to bed a little later than you."

"What for?"

"I was just thinking about some things." I say calmly, causing her to pause in silence.

"…Well, Breakfast is ready. The sausages are almost done, but the pancakes are ready if you want any. The plates are inside the cabinet and I have syrup in the fridge."

"Thanks, Yukinoshita…"

I may have hung on my words a tad bit, but that was because I just realized how hungry I was. That French restaurant wasn't filling at all! I hurriedly grab a couple of pancakes and without grabbing either syrup or butter, I dig in. The pancakes melts quickly in my mouth with no sort of burnt taste from overcooking or batter from undercooking. A perfectionist like always it seems, not that I'm complaining.

I stand up, plate still in hand, and move towards the refrigerator and grab the syrup with my free hand. This causes Yukinoshita to glare at me. What am I doing wrong woman?!

"You could at least have the decency to wash your hands before you go ransacking my fridge."

"You're the one that's allowing me to stay here so I presumed I was allowed to go through the fridge and besides, I've taken a shower so I'm clean."

"One set of cleaning isn't actually good enough to clean you of your Hikigerms. The dirt may have come off, but the germs still remain. From now on you need to wear gloves whenever you enter the kitchen so I don't get contaminated." She says, rearing away from me in a mocking disgust

I scoff heavily causing her to smirk victoriously. We continued our breakfast making small talk which would come off as strange for us, but neither of us would want to hear the faint sound of chewing food in the midst of an awkward silence. She talked of her studies while I talked lightly of my service. Of course, I couldn't give everything away given that some of it was classified information. She ended up asking the questions that would be classified and subconsciously, with a firm conviction, did I deny her the knowledge of my affairs. She was annoyed, but decided not to press.

After finishing breakfast, Yukinoshita had to leave for an apparent meeting with her family which, from the brief observation of her face, gave her a strong feeling of dread. However, her face spoke a different message that would easily betray the untrained eye. Her face spoke of indifference towards the matter, but her eyes conveyed dread. But you could only see the dread if you knew of her and her character. It was fortunate that I did, because if I were to know the thoughts of one of the most powerful women in the country I had a much higher chance of survival. Bidding me a farewell, she left me to my own devices.

As soon as I was sure she was gone, I rushed toward the washing machine and grabbed my clothes. They were slightly damp, but I was not going to sit in these damned pajamas. I decided to go out for a walk and I soon found myself in the lobby. Strangely enough, as I exited the building, I had numerous stares cast towards me by a number of the staff as well as some of the people lounging around the lobby. The meaning of their expressions varied heavily. Non-staff members looked at me with a sort of recognition as if I was someone famous but did not crowd around me in the frenzied hungered manner that was typical of the masses. Instead, they stayed in their positions watching me silently, yet it was not them who bothered me.

The staff looked at me with a mixture of expressions. Some looked at me with envy for an unknown reason while others had those same looks of admiration as the people lounging. I felt a dark feeling from them, but instead of pressing on it I ignored it.

Cold winter wind greeted my skin and the sun shone on the upper portions of the buildings. The lower half of the streets where people walked and traffic moved were blanketed in a light morning shadow. People moved shivering slightly as they moved about themselves, some to work, some towards university, all taking little time to look around them. It was strange for me because in the streets and with my direction I was listless. I had no purpose to be out in the cold yet I found myself lulled towards it. The first thing that came to mind was to return to the confines of the building but I'd rather not face the awkward stares by the workers once more.

I started down the street and despite my lacking of liking towards conversation was forced to ask for directions to the nearest bank. I hate not knowing this area because now I have to bother with people. Luckily the man was of a similar age to me and was likely in a rush but also too polite to ignore me. He gave me the street address and quickly disappeared into the hurried crowd. And I too marched alongside them, observing them, listening to them, and for an odd reason I was on my toes in anticipation. The military instincts of service would likely stick with me for the remainder of my life mostly at the expense of my naturally cautious attitude and that I dislike change.

It did not take long to find the bank luckily enough. This was partly due to the student being surprisingly competent and the fact that the building stood out like a black eye. The building was one of those terrible and failed attempts of "Modern architecture". It stood nearly 5 stories tall with various sections jutting out randomly and the blue glass reflected the sunlight in your face or was not illuminated and stood a dull and deep blue. It had no design, no appreciation for the past architectural marvels of old and the once dignified and magnificent image of economic institutions. Its very existence was an insult to me, but I suddenly realized that I was ranting about a building. Truly, I must be a broken man. I more than likely am suffering from a form of PTSD from either the war or the sheer stupidity of the building. Shouldn't I get paid benefits for this?

After casting aside my stupid thoughts, I went in and waited in line to meet a teller that could get me a debit card. Again, I was met with the same looks of admiration and I noticed a scrawny little kid with green wild hair carrying a strange super hero action figure **[1]** tried to approach me and as I result that was common of any mother, was gripped and pulled back to his mother's side much to the boy's annoyance. I chuckled at it and decided to be nice to the kid, for the main purpose that I knew the feeling of having your hopes of something interesting suddenly crushed by the will of someone else. I walked towards the woman, and her eyes went wide at my approach. I asked her for a pen and a piece of paper which she somehow had on her person and I signed my name and handed it to the kid. He was filled with a boyish excitement and grabbed on to my pant leg and in a hushed scream made a thank you towards me. I smiled and gave him a fist bump and went back in line.

What I did not notice that this was met with many smiles in a place that would be deemed as super serious and stressful. I had noticed that some people had their phones out and had recorded my actions. This caused my face to tint red but I quickly dismissed it. Hopefully nothing too stressful comes out of this.

"Hikki?!" A shrill familiar voice yelled out

Did I just fucking jinx myself?

I turned around to see the blur of a woman running towards me at full speed and before I could react was nearly tackled as she jumped straight into my chest and wrapped her arms around my upper body. I was caught off guard and was forced to hold her body up. I felt her breasts push very closely to my face and the softness of her body was enough for any man to become flustered. Too close!

Just as quickly as she came up she hopped down to meet my eyes. I was face to face with Yuigahama. Her body had not changed much just like Yukinoshita's but her chest was even more endowed than it had been in High School. Okay, time to stop being a pervert. What struck me the most unusual was what she was wearing. She was dressed in what looked to be business attire which hugged her frame lightly enough to not be sexual but still actively defined her womanly curves and features. It was almost alien to me, that Yuigahama was capable of being professional in any regard.

"Yo…"

"Eh?! Do you not remember me?!"

"I do! Yuigahama, but we're in a bank for God's sake!" I say in a harsh whisper. Once an airhead always an airhead it would seem. If my previous actions had not gained enough attention, Yuigahama's certainly have. Luckily though, no one seemed to have their phones out for that awkward occurrence.

"Sorry, tehe." She says, trying to be cute in the same way that Komachi does. But sadly for her that renders it uncute. "How have you been Hikki?"

"I've been fine… I just got back…"

"That's good, have you talked to her..?" She won't even use Yukinoshita's name? That's pretty bad actually.

"Yeah, I've talked to Yukinoshita. She's doing fine, I'm just glad we got to her when we did."

"Yeah, I haven't talked to her in a while. I really miss her." I'm not sure if that's just a conversation piece lie or the actual truth. Given her tone it could easily be placed as the later but given the fallout it is hard to tell. "Do you, Hikki?"

"I, uh…"

"Did you miss us Hikki?" And instantly her cheerful attitude had been replaced with an inquisitional anger. Laced in her voice was a hidden vice and anger that was rooted at me. It was uncharacteristic of Yuigahama but I suppose 4 years have passed and friendships of the past had ended. It makes sense her anger would be directed at me.

"I don't know. I haven't had a lot of time to think with the military being constantly being on my mind."

"I see." She says taking a step away from me "Why are you here Hikki?" She says completely erasing the anger from her face and portraying an innocent curiosity. I suppose to avoid anything else unwanted I should just play along.

"I need a debit card, I'm going out shopping for new clothes later on today." I honestly never thought those words would ironically come out of my mouth. "What about you?"

"I'm just depositing my paycheck before I go back to work today. I normally do it during the weekend, but I forgot."

"I see…"

Our conversation was cut short by the expectance of those around us which I was surprised to find Yuigahama was not oblivious towards. She respected the silence, respected the obligations of the public, and did not even turn to look at me again. Her face returned to an unnatural sternness that was uncharacteristic of the Yuigahama I had once known. While she did display bits of her old self, the Yuigahama that stood before me did not seem to be the one for fun and games. She was serious and down to the point and what she wanted. I could tell from the brief conversation and her venomous words. It was apparent that we would have a great deal more to fix if anything was going to return to how they once were. Eventually it was my turn to talk with the accountant and after filling in all of my details and other information, I was surprised to find that I was walking out of the building with a debit card in my hand that was able to be used. I had decided to wait outside for Yuigahama but after 15 minutes it had become apparent she was not coming on. So then, I set myself towards Yukinoshita's apartment with the weight of this conflict weighing on my shoulders.

 **Author's Note: Dear Mary Mother of God it has been so long and I feel so guilty. How has everyone been? I've been suffering from a lot of sickness, depression, work, and laziness which delayed this chapter from coming out. Not to mention the major writer's block I got. I wrote this chapter on and off so it's probably bad but I hope that you guys can enjoy it. Point out mistakes and recognize that I have probably changed Hikigaya's character and narration. He narrates over both his thoughts on things, his actions, and his observations because the military had taught him to profile. I'm trying to keep some of his aspects, but there will be things that I unconsciously change. Anyway, point out the mistakes and most importantly…**

 **PLEASE REVIEW AND FAVORITE AND EVERYTHING**

 **I'll see ya'll next chapter. Hopefully with faster updates!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The intermittent sound of jungle wildlife echoed around our position on the hill. Despite the soft blowing of the midnight air and the vast uneven ditches filled with water, the air choked you with its thick humid heat. The conditions were nearly insufferable and the constant groaning and complaints thrown by an occasional trudging foot soldier made sure the fact never leave your mind. I positioned my rifle and I put myself in a prone position overlooking the vast rice patty and the small village that stood nearly 2 kilometers in the east. However, the village was the least of our concerns. Moonlight glistened peacefully across the waters of the canal that fed the rice paddy, but across it and a brief ways north sat a plateau with four buildings. They differed heavily from the agrarian and ancient appearance of the village with their modern concrete box design. However, it was apparent that they were thrown together hastily due to their lacking in size.

The fire that was started in the center of the plateau illuminated the buildings, casting an orange hue across the walls of the building while several men patrolled aimlessly to and fro with rifles drawn. A section of the rice paddy had been cleared away and transformed into another sort of farm. This farm displayed with no sort of cover the numerous and orderly array of opium poppies, a drug that ruined lives as equally as it made profit. I turned my intention to the company of some 20 men as they crept hastily down the hill and towards the structure. The green of their uniforms had been transformed by the night into a blackish colour which gave them the appearance of panthers stocking pray.

And indeed that is what we were for all intents and purposes. We had the task of hunting this particular opium farm and striking it with ruthless severity. We were given strict orders to destroy the opium farm at all costs which effectively meant, "Leave no survivors" without having to sound like a warmonger. Thus, I trained my rifle upon the head of a lone guard entering the opium field. He held his rifle upon his shoulder while puffing his cigarette, the ashes being scattered around the field. If this buffoon continues, we would only have to leave it to him to burn down the damn thing.

I took one last breath and with the pulling of the trigger, the soft sound and strong recoil of my rifle sent a bullet flying through the air and safely landing within the man's throat. He tried to call out or scream in pain, but the sound was likely effectively muffled by him choking on his own blood. He held his throat and tried to escape the opium field but another bullet landing in his leg finally dropped him to the ground. I stood up quickly and vomited on the ground nearby. It was the first time I had killed someone and it didn't feel good, no matter who they were. I had a strange look from my support, who was likely of seasoned condition to war with these sorts of people. After all, he was from Laos and had likely dealt with drug busting operations on the orders of the government.

I took my position again and trained my rifle for the next, but decided to wait to regain my nerves. The company had effectively created a parameter around the complex with the flashing of the signal coming from one of the men. I guess I would not have time to regain nerves. I fired a shot dropping a guard and alerting a nearby one, but a bullet made sure he kept quiet. I could see the blood mist that came as a result of my shots and the only reason I did not throw up was because there was nothing left in my stomach. Still, I felt sick and light headed but draining taught me to not give in.

4 of the company soldiers advanced out of the direction of the Opium field and moved toward the compound, with guards still being unaware of the events had transpired. I took aim at the next guard and prepared to aim.

*BOOOOOMMMM*

A large cloud of fire erupted into the sky from the back portion of the compound. Screams could be heard as the back portion of the company was consumed in flame and trying to do anything to put the flames out. Then from the jungle machine gun fire roared at the direction rest of the company. A firefight had begun.

But as I turned around, I saw the limp body of my support in a pool of blood. And the barrel of a pistol pointed in my face.

*BANG*

I jolt forward with a scream as I observe my surroundings. Around me there was no jungle nor the barrel of a pistol pointed in my face, but instead a lavish apartment. I fall back onto the couch, which causes it to groan in response to the force of my weight. It has been a month since I have been back from service and I've started to have nightmares. Each of them recalling some obscure operation and each of them involving my death. I stand up and feel the chill of the air greet my bare skin. I sleep shirtless so the cold is only furthered, but I decide to ignore it as I drudge groggily towards the kitchen.

It does not take long after I fix my drink and stare at the window for the soft feeling of bare feet to move behind me. I knew her presence from a mile away, and with her less than 5 feet behind me it was only stronger.

"Are you okay?" She asks, as she does whenever I have a nightmare. It sort of became a routine

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" I always respond

"No." She says calmly while moving towards the cabinet and beginning the process of making tea "I had a nightmare and I haven't been able to sleep since."

"I see…." I say with a pause and turn to her, "Isn't it a bit late to be making tea?"

"I wouldn't think so, given the both of us need be awake early for class." She says as she turns the stove and faces me "Especially for you, it would be a tragedy if you were to miss your first day."

"Tck." I scoff "It'd be a blessing from heaven if I didn't have to lose hours of sleep for morning classes."

"Your laziness is quite repulsive, Hikigaya-kun." She teases while making a mock face of disgust.

"Whatever woman."

Silence reigns between us after the first brief exchange. On nights like this, this is how it always happens. It was like a continuation of club, but without Yuigahama. We engaged in our old banter because for two people that had been diagnosed with PTSD, nostalgia can be a form of therapy. I didn't mind the constant belittling by Yukinoshita because it was something familiar in a world full of change. I had applied for multiple jobs across the city and I was about to begin my first year of University studying law and political science. Yukinoshita on the other hand, due to her absence, had been reduced to almost the same state I was, having to restart from stage 1. We soon discovered we had many of the same classes together which was a tad odd for me, given she was rich. And she was content with it when I had asked about it and would not answer anything further.

I had not gone to seen any of my family yet because I had been stuck with working and planning. Hell, I haven't had time to see Yukinoshita and I lived with her. We had a breach in our busy lives to finally meet and indulge in something we both loved, banter and tranquil silence. The world would only be content with large extravagant parties between 'friends' or with large drinking fests between co-workers. The world had concerned itself with the material and had never bothered to look in between the fabric of people's souls, because if it did there would not be many likeable people. It was extremely ironic, that the daughter of one of the richest families in Japan would concern herself with listless banter and peaceful silence. It made me chuckle, which earned an odd look from Yukinoshita.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that I'm kind of happy."

"I think that was the first time you ever used 'I'm happy' in a sentence. Congratulations Hikigaya-kun." She says with a mocking clap before stopping and resuming an intrigued stance "What about?"

"That we do this and that I'm here with you." Upon the realization of my words, my fatigue had instantly been wiped away or at least for a moment and had replaced with a small blush at my words. Yukinoshita was in a similar state, although a bit stronger.

"T-Thank you, Hikigaya-kun. I-I feel the same way…"

"Anyway…" I say, trying to avoid an awkward silence "You said you had a nightmare, do you want to talk about it?"

"It's the same one as before, with the kidnapping." She said briefly, turning away from me as she did

"The therapy hasn't helped?"

"It has, but it still comes back from time to time. Especially when I'm under stress."

"What's been causing you stress?"

"Mostly it's been school, but Nee-san constantly pestering me doesn't help."

"It's hard to imagine the legendary Yukinoshita having trouble with school, I'd never think I'd see the day."

"It's not the grades, it's the people." She said, looking increasingly pissed as she said it. It caused me to do a double take and reaffirm the fact that I was stupid. Yukinoshita is studious, so grades would be the least of her problems.

"Who's bothering you?" I ask with inquiry, I knew that bullying had been a problem for us both. But to think it would continue to college was absurd

"It's everyone. Whenever I enter the University people just stare at me. In their eyes I was the celebrity that was kidnapped, that was ra-"

"That's enough. You and I both know you are more than that. We have both dealt with these sorts of problems before, like me with the Sagami incident."

At first she moves to make a counter argument, her lips part and her eyes flash with a violent passion to refute my statement, but no sound left her lips. I think this was the first time I had stunned Yukinoshita to silence and I found myself both impressed and ashamed of myself. Perhaps her character had changed from the time we had been apart to learn to accept logic that she deemed superior, but that did not mean that I had not felt guilty for putting down her concerns so quickly.

"I'm sorry, that sounded pretty rude. I didn't mean-"

"It's fine Hikigaya-kun, I suppose you're right but I still can't shake the anxiety that it causes me."

"Well I'm here, so you've no need to worry." I had instantly regretted what I had said. It had way too many implications for my intended purpose and I could easily feel the flush of our embarrassment under the cool midnight air. Those few seconds had passed in silence, until the feeling of a slender arm moving behind my back and locking me into an embrace.

"I know one way you can help me, Hikigaya-kun..." She moaned into my ear which caused me to blush in embarrasment.

"Yukinoshita..." I say, but her eyes were dancing up and down my body with a mixture of lust, passion, and pure and unadulterated fixation on me. Their blue colour had locked me in my place until Yukinoshita started to pull my hand towards her bedroom. My mind had entered into a completely blank state and I found myself unable to resist, perhaps I didn't even want to.

She pushed me onto the bed as she climbed over top of me. I felt my manhood become slightly erect and I prayed that she would not notice. However, she did in fact notice and giggled slightly in an attempt to sound sexy which had effectively made me even more erect. Her face was flushed with embarrassment but I could tell she was committed to her actions and I had found myself fine with it. Damn my hormones to hell.

She began to rub her crotch against mine, which caused us to moan in equal frustration at the fabric separating us. But Yukinoshita was known for being sadistic and had desired not to act on our increasingly desperate needs. Instead, she lowered her head to my chest and began to trail kisses up and down it. Her inexperience was apparent, but it didn't matter to me. I moaned out of pure instinct which only made her press further. She eventually reached my neck and began to nip at it slightly. But I eventually broke out of my trance and turned Yukinoshita's face directly in front of mine.

I could feel her breath on my face and it did not in the slightest turn me away from her. I leaned up and kissed her, invading her eagerly waiting mouth. It was our first kiss and the feelings behind it were nearly indescribable. On her end I could feel her contained and controlled nature suddenly shattering as she asserted herself to me and I felt my restricted subconscious desire come on and increase the fire of the kiss. With her hands tracing up and down my chest or holding to support herself, I used my free hands to move towards her bottom. I slid one hand into her pants, feeling the soft flesh of her ass and moving towards her nether region, giving it a slight rub and tease. She moaned in my mouth with approval and I continued with more speed.

I move my hands towards her chest, removing her tanktop and try to unhook her bra but I fail miserably. She laughs lightly at my predicament and unhooks them herself revealing her round, perky breasts. I push myself up and keep her in my lap and bring my face towards them staring with wonder at the almost alien things in front of me. There was no porn in the military, so it had been years since I had actually seen a breast. I notice Yukinoshita staring at me with ;expectation so I start to caress them and even sucking slightly on her nipples. She moans out heavily and tilts her head back and pure enjoyment which I only begin to satisfy even more.

"No teeth." She pants, making me increasingly more aware of my teeth

Within a few minutes of me sucking on her nipples and us still rubbing our crotches together, the massive puddle of fluids that now stained our pant crotches is impossible to ignore and it was clear that we would both need to fully satisfy ourselves. Yukinoshita hopped off of me and pulled her pants down, revealing her black panties that were visible wet. She then walked towards the wall, swaying her hips seductively as she went, and stuck her ass out while looking back at me with a pleading expression. Never in a million years did I expect Yukinoshita to be THIS sexy.

Whether I consented or not mentally, my legs found themselves moving towards Yukinoshita. I pulled down my pants, revealing my manhood to the open air. My attention turned back to Yukinoshita who was staring eagerly at my cock and not wasting any time I positioned myself at her entrance that was pink and wet with desire. I took time to observe the curvy and pale tone of her ass as I took one of the cheeks in my hand.

"Are you sure you want do this?" I ask, having reason come back into my mind for a brief moment but unsure if I would be able to handle a no.

"Y-Yes... I need you, badly..." She moaned breathlessly as she turned her head to meet my eyes

And without another word I enter her. She gasps in a mixture of pain and pleasure as I could not stifle a moan myself. I look down and see a slight amount of blood coming from her vagina. Her walls tighten around my length and increase in their warmth and wetness. I had just taken the virginity of one of the most powerful people in the country, but that thought had little effect on me at the frustratingly still connection.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I lean down and rest my head on her shoulder

"I'm fine... You can start to move now."

"I'm surprised, I wouldn't have expected you to be a virgin still."

"I wanted to save myself for someone that I hold very deal. You should count yourself lucky, no other woman would've taken you with your rotten personality. Well maybe a prostitute."

In retaliation, I thrust myself forward suddenly causing her legs to shake as a wave of pleasure envelops the both us.

"Why would I lower myself to a prostitute when I have you?" I say as I start move in and out slowly before she could refute my statement. Her breath becomes increasingly more laboured as I thrust in and out of her and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from panting. I look down at her ass and watch as the flesh bounces back and forth like ripples on water. The sight was extremely mesmerizing and I didn't even notice that my pace had started quicken.

"Faster, Hikigaya-kun!" Yukinoshita she half moaned and half screamed as she started to meet my thrusts halfway with strong vigour. The audible sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed throughout the room and our fluids had created a slight puddle on the floor. I start thrusting with all of my might into her folds, which only makes them easier to move through and causes Yukinoshita to be almost screaming.

Without warning I pull out of her and grab her in the heat of my lust. She is confused until I guide us towards the bed. She tries retake her original position but I do not allow her to. I force her down on the bed so that I am lying on top of her, face to face. I then to thrust with the same vigour as before, to which Yukinoshita seems very pleased with. Her tongue is hanging loosely out of her mouth and her eyes are glazed over with lust as we stare at each other. I was likely to be in the same state, but it was hard to imagine someone like Yukinoshita being like this.

"Hikigaya-kun…I'm close!" She yelps as she pulls me into an embrace

"I am too… Where.. Do you want it..?" I say between pants

"Inside..! I want it inside!" The logical part of my mind was begging me to reject her request, but my primal side was eagerly encouraging it. In the end, nature always wins. I feel her walls contract around me, spewing a ton of fluid around my dick. This sets me over the edge and I begin to pump with one last powerful thrust as my semen flows into her waiting womb, we share one last emotional kiss before I fall down on top of her exhausted.

We spend the next few moments silently holding each other and staring in equal wonder of what we had done. She covered herself with the blankets and fatigue was telling me to follow suite. Yet neither us wanted to fall asleep. What we had done was too sudden and too passionate to put it off for the next day. But we could find the courage to speak up, but instead we stared at each other eyes meeting. She smiled brightly at me, although it was a fatigued one, it was one of pure satisfaction. She played with my hand for a little too, holding it and moving it around.

"Yukinoshita..." I whisper

"Yes, Hikigaya-kun."

"Would you like to go out some time?" I nervously say. Her expression contorts into a mocked anger as she moves herself closer to me, with our faces only a few centimetres apart.

"You'd be a fool not to ask that."

"Is there a reason why you did all of this?"

"Like I said, I wanted to relieve my stress by getting something off my chest."

"Which was?"

"Not having a suitable man to love." She says as she comes to kiss me on the lips "I love you, Hachiman." Her hair hangs loosely down and her face is covered with both a blush and a smirk. I flush at the sight and begin to look away, but decide it wouldn't be the best course of actions. Instead, I wrap her in a strong embrace and rest my head above hers.

"I love you too, Yukino."

"Do you want me to go get our clothes?"

"No, I've never slept naked before and I'd like to try it."

"And you call me a pervert."

"It's your fault you know, you infected me with your perverted Hikigerms and now I'm stuck like this." I can help but chuckle, after sex banter is great.

"I'll go sleep on the couch if you want to disinfect yourself so much." I say, acting as though I'm getting up but am suddenly pulled back by Yukinoshita's surprising grip

"You're not going anywhere!" She says with renewed and playful lust

"Fine by me."

 **Author's Note: Okay, I'm sure that none of you were expecting this but neither was I. But the idea of a sex scene popped into my mind and I couldn't resist writing this. Plus this was as a result of my inability to think of a proper course of events after the last chapter. So I thought, why not skip to a month ahead? For those of you reading for the drama of this, don't worry it's still going to be there, with Yui, Iroha, and the rest and those of you reading for the fluff and the sex, don't worry. That'll be there too. Some will criticize that they're acting out of character, but that's what I wanted to display with tonight. They've grown into matured adults with more matured, but less conceited practices. And I would also like to establish the fact that because of the military, Hikigaya's thoughts train more on actions then they do their meaning, although it still is there. He doesn't make a lot of comparisons but instead makes more of observations. Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and sorry that this will be going to an M rating, but I want to focus on more adult themes with this. Also, sorry for lack of updates. Writer's blocks sucks ass! Later.**

 **PS. Review this shit, I like at least 10 reviews per chapter. It makes me happy. How was the sex scene?**


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